Starscream's Mishap
by Starscream's Mishap
Summary: My first fanfic. Be gentle. Mishap is a Decepticon whose boring job gets a lot more interesting when Shockwave calls her up for a pointless mission.
1. Let's get it started

"Obstacles are inefficient, follow your intuition, free your inner soul and break away from tradition."

Black Eyed Peas

Chapter 1: Assignment 

Deep within Cybertron's core is a scalding hot Cybertonium pit. This element, found only on the planet, is vital for robot sustenance. Decepticons slaves mine it, mostly prisoners of war and former political insurgents. Working deep within, at the controls, overseeing basic functions, toiled an unidentified robot. She was a gorgeous shade of indigo, with blue accents. Purple eyes belied her affiliation, luckily the matching Decepticon icon gave it away. She had a body pleasing to the eye of any mech, although there was no time for appreciation. There was work to be done. She could already feel coolant pouring down the back of her neck as the oppressive heat assaulted her early that day. An occasional drone passed to pick up the collection the slaves accumulated. No one really acknowledged her, not even the robot behind a window next to her. This job made her feel forgotten.

"Mishap! Shockwave to Mishap!"

The femme-bot started from her boredom and flipped the visicom switch on the usually dormant computer. "Mishap here. Greetings, Shockwave." After what had seemed like an eternity asleep, contact with the outside world was am alarm's shrill reminder. Mishap was pleased. "It is good to-"

"You may dispense with the pleasantries," he broke in rudely. "Report to my control room in four thousand astro-seconds." His visage zipped away, leaving a blank screen.

"Holy smoke." If Megatron himself had appeared before her and informed her she would produce the son of Primus Mishap could not be more shocked. After 5 million years of circuit-numbing labor, she was getting an assignment! She leaned on the consul and pondered her fate. What if it was a fluke? Something short-lived? Her ticket out of here?

Mishap waved to her co-worker on the other side of the window, who had a quizzical expression; probably mirroring hers. "I've been called up!" she exclaimed. She saw the envy in his face for a microsecond, then a smile and a wave. Mishap felt a pang of regret as she raced through the empty halls to the tube transportation. She had worked with him for a million years. She never learned his name. Would she see him again?

Shockwave looked up from the controls he operated and nodded at her arrival as a greeting. She stood behind him and arranged her face in a less-than eager expression. He waited a moment and pressed a button.

"Calling Megatron! Shockwave to Megatron!"

Megatron? The robot who had motivated evil forces to take her prisoner and force her to labor for a lifetime? She had sworn an oath to him and taken a new symbol to avoid death. Most Autobot spies were destroyed via torture, but for some sadistic reason a few underlings thought re-aligning her format would help them politically if they could attempt an uprising. These subordinates had been scattered and lost over time, and somehow she had been placed in the mines. She was alive, and safe, and from what gossip slowly filtered down to the workers below, her only brother lived on Earth with the Autobots.

Megatron's handsomely sinister face appeared on the screen. Mishap concealed (poorly) a gasp of fear and attraction. He had a good looking countenance for such a hated robot.

"Are you there, Megatron?" Shockwave pressed a few buttons with his working hand.

"Copy, Shockwave." His gravelly voice sounded different from what Mishap expected. "Is this the one?"

"Hail Megatron! Yes, she was the one so highly recommended by her peers." Her "peers" had been few and far between. She was stymied. Megatron looked at her expectantly. Was she supposed to say something? Support Shockwave's statements? Mishap nodded, assuming nothing. The large purple robot in front of her beckoned.

"Hail Megatron," she declared, voice steady despite the fear surrounding her. She could act better than the other robots of her station. She had several talents.

"Are you the one they call Mishap?" her leader inquired.

"Yes, sir."

"Are you still artful in reconnaissance, invisibility, and behavior interpretation?"

"The best, sir." She still turned invisible when she wanted to spy on slaves. No revolts had occurred under her watch, due to this ability; also reading their motives and interpreting them to influence a quashing of all hope of revolt was a great talent. Management had its upsides.

"Excellent." He was pleased. Mishap was somehow relieved, but now what? Luckily Megatron was not one to beat around the bush. "I tire of my second-in-commands attempts to usurp me!" He scowled disgustedly.

"So why don't you kill him?" It was out before she realized it.

"I ask the questions!" Megatron snarled.

"Yes, sir." Mishap tilted her head down in a modest fashion. This guy had a short fuse.

"I need you to watch him. He is too intelligent to be left alone, but too necessary to destroy. Follow him. Report to me." He paused to make sure she was listening. "Do you accept my commission?"

Did she! "I welcome your challenge, Lord Megatron, and I will not fail." Her eyes glowed fiercely.

"Good. Shockwave, open the Space Bridge and bring her to earth."

Shockwave nodded and gestured her to enter a doorway. She stood in a small circular room and watched the door close in front of her. The felt a life force inside her stir and she smiled.

Her life was beginning again.

Cheesy Flashback #1

"_Patrol is such a waste of time!" Sunstreaker was listlessly driving in circles as Oasis checked her arm- transmission to see if Prime was going to notify them of their shift's end. She holstered her gun, exhausted at the longest land patrol ever. They had investigated every piece of their assigned area four times. It was a fruitless duty, and both Autobots were hoping for a long break; Sunstreaker wanted to wax himself, Oasis wanted to see what the boys were doing tonight. Hopefully they wanted her around this time. Mirage had not spoken to her in a very long while._

"_This is 'sunny garden,' reporting flawless skies in coordinates 1800-2255-288. Copy?"_

"_Copy, 'sunny garden,' this is ' soaring drone.' Coordinates 1800-2223-334 are flawless as well." Powerglide and Bumblebee were just as bored as they were. When the shift changed Oasis was ready for a party._

"_Calling 'sunny garden' and 'soaring drone,' this is 'phantom menace.' We, as well as 'strong near-miss' and 'lift hook' have just received a 'bellow' from a 'bogey' and plan to 'bring in da funk'."_

_Sunstreaker hit the brakes. "What on Cybertron was that supposed to mean?"_

"_You should have objected to Blaster making the code, like the rest of us, when you had the chance," she reprimanded him, grinning. "Nobody but Mirage and I said anything, and now you all look pretty stupid when you don't get what's going on." She turned back to her comlink. "Copy, 'phantom menace,' 'sunny garden' is 'tuning the horn', as soon as you give us 'a key'." Once coordinates were provided, she turned to her partner. "Let's go, we're hijacking an energon truck." _

"_Aha!" Now they were going somewhere._

Chapter 2: The Target

"What is this place?" Mishap had never seen anything like planet Earth. Everything was unknown. Sun too close, Nitrogen-based atmosphere, carbon-based life forms...Mishap's scanners left nothing unturned. Her coloring looked different, too; a much lighter, royal blue. She barely recognized her own arm. There was something else in the air, too.

A small, bluish-purple Decepticon reluctantly greeted her. He sullenly told her to follow him. As they flew in the air she asked what he was called.

"Rumble," he supplied. "Ya wanna see why?" Before she had a chance to react, he swooped out of the sky, changed his arms to piston rods and mercilessly pounded the ground, "arms" alternating. The earth opened up, swallowing trees and dirt. Mishap expressed a reasonable amount of admiration.

"That's gotta put a cramp in the Autobot's style," she complimented him. He grinned, looking at her in the eye for the first time.

"Yeah," he bragged. "Nobody tumbles with Rumble!"

"I know I won't," she promised, looking slightly afraid of him. The small Decepticon was delighted. Others called him 'Pipsqueak' and bossed him around. This femme seemed OK. They exchanged a small smile. Mishap was glad she still had diplomatic skills. This unlikely ally may come in handy later.

"So how's Cybertron?" he asked eagerly.

Megatron's Decepticon base was underwater. This pleased Mishap. It seemed more like home. Rumble led her to a metal door. After a brief wait, it lifted quickly, allowing them to walk into Megatron's main throne room.

Metal. A computer with a large screen on one wall. One large blue robot turned a pushed a button on his shoulder. Rumble leapt into the air, transforming into a rectangular shape and disappearing inside the blue Decepticon. Mishap saw this from the corner of one amethyst optic. Her attention was drawn to someone else.

Megatron sparkled with more menacing charisma than her first sighting of him on a screen. He was evil. And hot. Mishap kneeled immediately.

"All hail Megatron," she said in a hushed voice. Mishap tried to keep a small tremble audible to flatter him further. She saw him smirk. To her surprise his reaction actually formed a knot of revulsion in her transistors when he did that.

"Rise, new recruit." Mishap rose and smiled a beautiful smile. (One of the advantages of being a female was the undisguised admiration of the males.) Megatron looked at her, seeming lost in thought until something caused him to jerk his head at an object behind her. "Do you understand what you are to accomplish here?" He looked her in the eye. It chilled her circuits. Seeing him on a telecom and being in the same room with him was a vastly different experience.

"I follow someone around. We have not discussed living arrangements, the length of my stay, what's expected of me, breaks, compensation-"

"That is all minimal," he interrupted, glancing around her again with a strange expression. "Report to me in this room in two astro-days. Now, become invisible, your target arrives."

Mishap immediately disappeared and awkwardly stood beside her leader. He oozed a dark aura that was both striking and exciting. Could he feel her presence? The blue robot saw an indiscernible signal and pressed a button. The door opened. In marched a decent-looking Decepticon of red, silver, and light blue. Like her, he appeared to be a flying vehicle, except his wings stayed outside of his body. Agitation marred his dark gray face, rendering whatever handsome features he might have had useless. Megatron wasted no time causing this creature misery.

"Would you care to explain your lack of participation in last night's energon gathering, without your usual lies?" Megatron asked antagonistically, voice dripping with sarcastic contempt.

"I was working on Devastator's laser blaster," he returned, irritated. He had a weasel-like voice. Mishap shuddered slightly. "There's a malfunction in its trigger receptors – "

"Spare me your excuses!" his leader shot back. "You will aid us when I command you to! Dismissed." The robot moved to leave. Mishap followed, overtaking him and slipping out the door before he did. "Starscream!"

The robot paused expectantly.

"Watch...your...back," their chief warned menacingly.

Starscream had nowhere to take this. "Yes, my lord."

Megatron waited until he no longer felt Mishap's presence. He grinned sadistically. "She will do nicely." He burst out into maniacal laughter.

Chapter 3: Mishappens

Using every trick she'd been taught by her creators, Mishap was the perfect stealth artist. Unfortunately, Starby (or whatever his name was, she didn't hear it often) was boring. All he did was follow the others around in their tasks, play combat games with his fellow airplane friends, or sit in a lab all day and tinker, muttering to himself. One day he got in a heated discussion with Megatron after they lost another battle to the Autobot: they would have won if Megatron had brought him along. Stargeezer stomped off to his chamber and slammed the door, nearly squashing Mishap after him. Inside his room was a hard copy of the structural layout of Cybertron's Decepticon headquarters fastened to the wall. He angrily flipped it over to reveal a picture of Megatron. Shooting it with his null ray, the poster taunted him more with comments such as 'You missed!', 'My motherboard could do better!' and 'Starscream, turn on your optic sensors!' Mishap had to bite her finger appendages to keep from laughing out loud when he finally shot it enough times that it said 'You should be leader!'

Starscream flopped on his recharging plate. As energy coursed through him he silently stared at the ceiling, tapping his fingertips endlessly. He seemed so vulnerable at these moments. Almost like an –

Mishap suppressed the thought before it emerged. Decepticons were cold-hearted bullies, caring only for themselves. She was there to find a way to security with freedom, no more no less. If Megatron liked what she did, he may allot her a better position on Cybertron, one less menial. If her situation didn't seem so hopeless, maybe she could find her brother.

The underground battle station followed the physical laws of earth, to maintain a sense of perspective in the warriors. The lights dimmed at six PM. Darkness of night fell quickly here on this strange planet, with its 24-unit days. Mishap wondered if she would ever adjust. When would she get some energy? She knew she had to report soon, maybe she would get some then. It did not appear that this was part-time employment.

Starscream's eyes glimmered in the dark as he climbed out of his recharge plate. On silent feet he sauntered out of his room and down an unlit hall. Intrigued, Mishap followed. She chased him deep into the bowels of the city-like base. The dark and damp oppressed her circuits. Gloom encased her, making it difficult to read the depth of the area or the proximity of objects. Twice she hit something, sending her prey into a nervous reaction. At long last, he stopped. Starscream entered a chamber, pushing a few buttons. The doors closed and it filled with water. Realizing what he was doing, Mishap flew to the upper levels to catch him before he swam away. She was out of the base, in the air, when looking around she spotted a glint in the sky. Her radar told her it was nothing, so on a hunch she followed it. Praise Primus, it was Starscream! What was he up to?

Mishap transformed into the jet-like apparatus she was on Cybertron and gunned her engines. She was ill prepared for transformation, neglecting it for so long. She put on her cloaking device as she doubled her output and hoped for the best.

Far away, on a remote island, Starscream glided to the ground with barely a rustle from the palm trees above him. Mishap slid in the air and landed less than 10 meters from him, not as gracefully. She had to work on that. Glancing around, Mishap saw her target walk over to a rockier part of the beach. To her amazement, Starscream leaned over a rock and split it in two. There, in a niche before him, were many robots. Strong, powerful robots; NOT DECEPTICONS. Still under construction.

'What do I do now?' she thought. Megatron had not been specific. It was awhile before she was to report. It might be too late by then. Should she radio for backup? Go and find...who? Merely watch?

She decided on none of these. After pondering for what seemed like forever, she made her move. Silently, delicately, on the lightest tread ever, she walked over to where Starscream was soldering the ugliest robot and watched him for a few seconds before aiming her blaster at a key spot, one that especially would not bring her harm. She pulled the trigger.

Fire erupted in front of them as everything exploded. Leaving Starscream wherever he touched down, Mishap shook herself off and destroyed the evidence of the other robots. As the island burned Mishap turned her attention to the creator of this problem.

Starscream was badly injured. Sparks flew from his chest cavity. Mishap tried to revive him. Nothing. No noise, no movement, nothing. Knowing robot care basics, Mishap shut off his main power line, working fast to mend torn circuits. Most needed replacement. Quickly. Heaving a sigh, Mishap transformed again, precariously balancing the traitor on her back for the long, slow journey ahead.

Cheesy Flashback #2 

_Most of the Autobots were being loaded onto the prison van, destination: the laboratories for special experimentation. It was hard to see if anyone escaped due to the smoke everywhere around them from the explosion. Swindle gazed around the blast site, where their well-placed trap had aided in the capture of at least nine Autobots. As he looked at the wreckage blending in with the background of a decomposing city, he noticed a small blue heap. Normally a pile of scrap would not catch his optics but this scrap was still moving. He motioned to Onslaught; the only other mech not employed in prisoner transfer, to help him investigate. Swindle leapt over a pile that had formerly been their decoy truck and bent over the smoldering female. _

_She was a mess: her entire midsection had been ruined, splitting her in half. One arm had come off, and her blue eyes had crumbled. It was fueltank-churning. Swindle called Vortex over to aid them in picking the pieces up._

"_I'd prefer not," he called, safely ensconced in the truck. "Brawl is closer."_

_Brawl sauntered over and saw something in her face. "By Primus, is that one of the Autobots Deep Pipe described?" Deep Pipe (not his real name) had highlighted the team that would try to intercept their convoy; of several mentioned was the female spy Oasis. No pictures had been provided, merely a brief account. Her head fell off at his touch, and he scrambled to retrieve it. She moaned as he squeezed a few wires below where her neck should have started. "Who are you?" He asked her. The only thing the POW's gave were their name, rank and serial number._

"_Oasis, First Lieutenant, number 8-675-309."_

"_Ah!" Now they were getting somewhere._

Chapter 4: Distractions

Starscream awoke with a start. Who turned him off? How did he get repaired? Where were his Conscripticons? He sat up and looked around, noticing he was alone in the sickbay. How did he get there? A flashing light caught his attention; something on the table next to him. It was boomerang-shaped, pink. It blinked and from it he perceived two voices, one male, one female. The male voice was very familiar. Starscream plugged the pink thing into his audioreceptors.

"You have done well in your tracking of Starscream," Megatron commended. "Especially this new information you give me. But what proof do I have that the robots he was building were really for me?"

Starscream's jaw dropped. A spy? When? Where? Who? The robots were to aid his coup! Surely Megatron realized that! He was doomed!

"Actually, I don't; but I heard him talking to himself the whole time. He was mumbling about a lot of things that could be the gestalt of that," Mishap replied. She was standing in front of the most powerful mech in the Universe, and telling him lies. Why not? Although she had been very truthful to her leaders in the pit her dislike of this megalomaniac seemed to lead her into dangerous places. She had already explained that Starscream had been making them as an asset to the Decepticons. A curry for favor. Unfortunately, his lack of competence (something she witnessed in the labs countless times) caused them to blow up in his face. This was her surmising, based on what occurred. She could be wrong. After he berated her for nearly blowing her cover, if not for Soundwave's happening to be at the controls when she arrived, Megatron asked probing questions about the events, each one a new angle of perception. Forcing her into repeating this story different ways was a ploy to find inconsistencies, and Mishap was not falling for it. She had not kept slaves riveted in tales of adventure all those millions of years for nothing.

"I see," said Megatron, stroking his chin. "What puzzles me is- your obvious cover-up to keep me from uncovering the truth!" He pointed his ion cannon at her head. "What was Starscream really doing there?"

Mishap stared at him, light violet eyes steady as she waited until he sat back down. Megatron's blood red optics glowed with annoyance. She had to process quickly, appeal to something other than his paranoia.

"Why did you bring me here, Megatron?" she asked, tone implying this was rhetoric. Her expression said something lustful. "To spy on Starscream? To fulfill your need...for an excuse to terminate him? You need no such rationale." She stepped forward, looking desirous. "You, the great leader of the Decepticons, seem to require my services for other purposes." She dropped to her knees and crawled the few steps to his throne. He leered with interest. Fear entered her immediately; this robot could kill her. "Starscream fears you," she said in a low, soft assurance. "He knows any day will be his last. Your accolade is all he desires." She decided to do the unimagined. Face level with his lap, she raised herself to a position on her knees in front of him. His expression didn't change. "He knows where his loyalties are," she purred, hands on his knees. He felt as cold as deep space. "So do I." She leaned even closer. Megatron's mouth opened and a faint groan, almost a sigh, escaped. She parted his legs farther and let her hands travel closer to his upper thighs. "Or would you prefer a more pleasant subject?"

Starscream had not moved. If he were human he would not breathe. What were they doing? He could not find out because just then Hook came in to discharge him and send him on his way. He raced out, clumsily fumbling to re-plug the pink transistor.

"Your logic satisfies me." That smirk was back. Mishap counter-intuitively gave her best winning smile. "The rest of you will have to wait. Fetch me Rumble and return to Starscream."

"Yes, your excellency," Trying no to let her relief overtake her, Mishap put on a small pout and slunk out of the throne room. Once the door slammed shut behind her she leaned against the hallway wall and shuddered uncontrollably.

Chapter 5: Revelations I

Starscream slowly lowered the transistor. How long had there been a spy? What did Megatron want? Mostly he panicked. He threw the pink thing against the wall, where it shattered.

"What is going on?" he cried, pacing his chamber. "Who is this spy?" Whoever she was, she would not get near him!

The door pounded, causing him to jump. Rumble's head poked in. "Megatron demands your presence now!"'

He was going to die! He had to get out of here! Rumble maliciously watched him melt down. Suddenly, he shook his head and turned away. "Later," he said, walking off.

"Starscream!" a female voice whispered.

"Show yourself, you pile of scrap!" The voice came from nowhere, irking the jet as he swung around wildly to locate it.

"Do you really think I will, after you talk to me like that?" she mock-sadly replied. "I'm sorry I saved your life twice!" Starscream began his long journey to hell. She followed, hurrying to catch up. "You heard what I told him, right?"

"Yes. I suppose you want my gratitude. Unfortunately, Megatron will not accept my advances towards his person," he snorted sarcastically, forgetting the time –

"If you go in there arrogant and defensive, as you always are, and repeat the same story I did, which I KNOW you heard on the transistor, then he has nothing to accuse you of."

The bell went off in Starscream's head. "Of course!" he exclaimed, Megatron's throne room door looming above him.

She spoke the minute he returned to his chamber. "You," she sighed, "Are brilliant!"

At his confrontation Starscream had confessed his greatest desire was to win Megatron by proving his genius. Not being able to succeed, he had assumed a small present of more Decepticons would win his favor.

"Well it didn't!" Megatron thundered. "It blew up in your face!"

"How did I get out of there?" Starscream inquired.

"You radioed for help," came the less-than-smooth lie. Megatron waved his attendant away. "We found you."

"Where?" Starscream asked slyly.

"Get out of here!" hollered Megatron.

"How did you know what I said? Were you there?" He did not like having to talk to an imperceptible being.

"No." She was not about to admit the advantages of her invisibility. "I just know you."

"You were spying." Starscream stopped looking at the area around him for a source of the dialogue and lay down on his recharging plate. Reaching over to the nearby table he selected a CD and pushed it into an unknown slot. His optics dimmed.

Mishap sat on the floor. This was almost as tedious as her mining job. Twice she was tempted to ask what he was computing, just so she didn't have to listen to him mutter to himself. His face looked better now than it did when she met him. Blissful, almost. Very handsome.

Megatron was finally alone with his thoughts. Sitting on his throne, he contemplated his latest employee. 'Wonderful girl; either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her,' he thought. Clever, quick thinking, horny as an earth rabbit. He smiled at that. Her attempt to re-route his thinking system was laughable, but he let it go when he decided to hear what Starscream would say. She had a convincing style. No one functioning could resist such a come-on from such a ravishing creature. Why she felt she had to protect her ward made him suspicious until it occurred to him that job security was a good objective: no Starscream, no reason to stay here. He refused to believe that Starscream had been making him a "present" but could accept that he had been blown away by her sabotaging his endeavors. This setback, although temporary, would keep his second in command docile (or paranoid) for a few weeks. Long enough for Megatron to figure out what Mishap was up to. And see if she would do what he wanted her to do.

Cheesy Flashback #3

"_You need a shot to your afterburners, loser!"_

"_Easy for you to say NOW, sis, but the race isn't over yet and YOU HAVE NO STAMINA!" Mirage was laughing as he kicked his gears higher and whizzed past her. She gasped in indignation, and for only a moment, was lost in a cloud of dust. "You are going to lose this race or ELSE!" She drove her blue car-like self as fast as she could through the piles of scrap and empty streets of abandoned Autobot cities. There was not much left that was in Optimus' jurisdiction. Oasis wondered what would happen if they were caught out here. Luckily, it was the middle of the night. Decepticons had the luxury of recharge hours. Oasis felt her engine slow as she realized her brother knew her far too well. Blast! When she finally WALKED into Autobot headquarters cafeteria he was waiting with Sunstreaker and Powerglide. All three playfully applauded her arrival. Mirage handed her a mug of hot energon._

"_Thanks." She accepted a proffered mug of tasty beverage and sat at the fourth seat. Behind them was a table of femmes, laughing and joking about Firestar's relationship with Inferno. Oasis ignored them. These females were foreign to her. She had spent all of her life with her brother, and later his friends, being one of the guys. She was ill-prepared one day when Mirage told her she needed female cohorts. After a long argument he allowed her to tag along, as she had since the beginning, and now that she was older and being noticed by top brass she was glad she had. A lot of the officers around her were now her friends. She almost pitied the femmes. By forming a sexist clique they were only harming themselves._

"_Look at the aft on that one," Sunstreaker grunted, head jerking to a green and yellow female who had stood up to refresh her drink. "Not bad at ALL!" They followed with dirty laughter. Oasis ignored them, assuming that she was not meant to comment but was allowed to listen, reinforcing her belief of being accepted._

"_I like that one," Powerglide, with his usual lack of tact pointed to a female with soft seafoam armor who at the same time was looking at them._

"_Why don't you go talk to her?" Oasis asked. She was bored with the mechs constantly hooting and hollering over who they would do what to and never following through. Powerglide reinforced this by stammering and claiming that he heard she was a real bitch. Sunstreaker snickered._

_Oasis rose, calmly, and walked over to the group. Their conversations ceased as she approached. Whatever. "Good evening, ladies," she began. A mature light blue female smiled at her politely. The rest stared warily._

"_Hello," the azure femme greeted. "I'm Chromia."_

"_Hi. I'm Oasis. I thought I would tell you.." she dropped to her knees, table level, and conspiratorially lowered her voice to a whisper. "Those guys over there think you all are REALLY special. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to get to know them, 'cause they're kinda shy." She gestured to the mechs, who were nervously getting up from the table as she spoke. "Hey!" she hollered, giving them a LOOK. They sat back down. "OK, they have no social skills. Could you do me a favor and help me out?"_

_The seafoam one rose first. "Sure!" she said. The green and yellow one followed, as did a light purple female. Oasis led them over to the boys, gesturing to each one as she named them. "Meet Powerglide, Sunstreaker, and Mirage." As the women grabbed extra chairs and sat down Oasis left to allow the energon to be processed, assuming her brother needed no help in talking to a female. She was wrong. He chased after her after five minutes._

"_I didn't appreciate that, Oasis. If I want to hang out with a crazy Autobot named Nova, I will." He caught up with her in time to see her shrug. It was not her fault that Nova was a common (stereotyped) femme name, or that this particular female fulfilled said stereotype._

"_I'm sorry, bro. I thought you might like to get to know another girl besides me."_

"_I do; just not today. Right now I'm happy with my life the way it is." He reached over and took her hand. Oasis was surprised. They used to do that to find each other when they were both invisible, before they learned to sense the other's presence. One day they decided they were too old for that._

"_So, what's on the agenda today?" she asked, feeling recharged. That was good energon!_

"_Not much. The Decepticons get up in a few hours."_

"_Perfect!"_

"_Why?"_

"_Rematch!" she claimed, transforming. Mirage laughed to catch up to her._


	2. Two of us

"You and I have memories farther than the road the stretches on ahead..."

The Beatles

Chapter 6: Report

Megatron requested that Mishap report a month later. She told him about Starscream obeying orders, his grumbling about how things were going, the doomsday prophecies of Megatron's latest attempt to collect energy, his moments of power confiscation when Megatron stubbed his toe. The usual.

"I'm glad I'm not expecting too much from you," he snarled roughly. "I knew that already."

"Perhaps what you don't realize is that whenever you are injured and he takes over, the others obey him without question." The battles she had witnessed brought this conclusion to her with alarm. "There is not a loyal chip anywhere in your warrior's transistors."

"Hmm." Megatron had not realized that. Perhaps this femme was not the scatterbrained fabricator he took her to be. "Does anyone speak on my behalf?"

"They do not even check your body for signs of functioning."

Megatron's thought's whirled. Was this another distraction? No, it was not. He recalled at least three instances this had happened immediately. He stood up from his elevated chair. "What is the conversation in my absence?"

"Cybertron. How they miss it, when will they go back. Starscream speaks only of you. He has no allies, for the others tire of him. When he's with the other jets they play games but they really fight like brothers."

"Starscream speaks of me? What does he say?" She already told him that! Wasn't he paying attention? He started down the few steps towards her, scowling in a way that made her apprehensive.

"Specifically, how you are wasting time, any holes in your schemes, what he would have done better."

"As expected. What does he do when he's alone?" Megatron left his throne and passed her. He was now pacing up and down the front of his monitor, looking for something.

"Downloads data. He has an insatiable demand for input."

"He's a scientist," Megatron said absently, looking for something near the computer. "Of all my Decepticons, he is the one on which I rely for accurate information."

The truth comes out! Mishap smiled. Megatron seemed to find what he was looking for. He produced a small, glowing rod. Mishap's eyes glowed, too. This was a concentrated form of energon, one to keep a robot going for a least an earth month. One that would not have the same effects that the potable cubes did.

"You have not only reported Starscream, you have revealed a vital, albeit disturbing, behavior pattern in my team." Morons! He was surrounded by morons! Morons, a traitor, and a semi-reliable femme whose fantastic appearance made him second-guess his own logic circuits. He was tired of self-control and decided a little play would benefit him. "For that, you get a reward." Mishap was genuinely flattered. She was also excited. Placing a battery like that in her chest cavity receptor was the robot equivalent of rolling ecstasy. Or shooting up black tar heroin. It was so bad psychologically, yet so good. So necessary; it was energon. He took a few steps closer, making the object grow all-encompassing. "There is on other thing I want you to do before you are dismissed." The vial was held in between his finger and thumb. She could see her reflection in it.

"Yes...my leader." Her eyes turned dark purple in anticipation. She would have to find a private place to insert that. Energon that good made her circuits go into overdrive and her whole body shake. Whatever he wanted, she had to have that vial!

Megatron's voice was low, almost a whisper. His arm snaked around her back but she barely felt it.

"I put it in for you...my dear."

Starscream ignored the sound of his door opening as he read the notes on the CD regarding Constructicon repair. He'd played it many times, each time finding something new. Often it made simple a few systems he'd found complicated. He glanced to see if she was visible. She was not. Over the week, his ghost had become negligent in her stealth. He could hear her walking around, she became visible when she thought he was resting, she used his door openly. He tried to pretend he was alone and searched for a way to break free without her. He had a new idea to get rid of Megatron.

She sat down on in the corner and he heard her sigh painfully. Turning off his audios, he changed CDs and began the search for notes regarding the physics of earth. Sometime later, a hand reached out and tapped his arm. He ignored it. It struck him again, harder. He pretended that there was nothing. He was hit with a small but stunning blast that threw out the CD and turned everything on. Starscream sat up.

"What's your damage!" he demanded angrily. There was no one in the room.

"Megatron's been calling all Decepticons to assemble. You'd better get going," said a female voice from nowhere in particular.

"What?' he asked the same time his radio called to him.

"Starscream!" yelled Megatron.

"I'm on my way!" Starscream yelled back, sprinting to the throne room where all the other Decepticons waited.

"So good you could make it," growled their leader. Turning towards the screen on the wall computer, Megatron showed a shot of the earth's sun. "I have decided to send us to this star to collect a great deal of its energy," he announced. "To do that, I need a large spaceship built to collect it." He proceeded to make his plans and assign tasks. Then he shocked them all by discarding his head scientist.

"Starscream, you will stay behind to use the computer to track our progress. Draw up the plans. Go with Mixmaster to the Constructicon's laboratory."

Starscream stay behind? Since when? All were open mouthed, including the subject at hand. Grumbling, he followed the green and purple robot out.

"The rest of you: the first robot finished, task perfect, will accompany the energon cubes we collect to Cybertron for vacation. Now go!"

Cybertron! Vacation! The evil mechs rushed out of the room, practically running over each other in the process.

Chapter 7:Autobots

"Warning! Warning! Warning! Decepticon activity in the following locations!" Teletraan-1 showed several spots on the globe where industrial activity thrived.

"Zoinks! Optimus!" yelled Cliffjumper, scarlet head turning to see who in the ark was still in proximity. Several Autobots were on patrol. He pressed a few buttons to see if any were close.

Spike, a human being allowed to associate with the Autobots, made it there first. Hound and Bumblebee were close behind. So was Optimus Prime, their magnificent leader. He read the commentary on the screen in front of him.

"Mirage and Brawn are over in the vicinity of the steelworks," he said in his gruff voice. "Prowl and Bluestreak are far away from the NASA Space station, but might make it. Radio them and tell them backup's on the way. Autobots! Transform and roll out!"

Quickly moving, the leader of these heroes became a large truck. Spike leapt into Bumblebee's waiting VW form. Cliffjumper remained to get the others on the horn.

"Yes, Teletraan!" responded Bluestreak.

"I'm Cliffjumper!" he snarled.

"Sorry! You sound the same!"

That was all Spike heard before they raced out of the ark. Being Autobots, they could drive at 500 miles per hour easily. Minimal. Optimus, the slowest in the bunch due to his massive size and lack of aerodynamics could do 1000 mph without breaking coolant. They were at NASA headquarters in ten minutes.

"Whoa," Spike murmured softly. The Decepticons had lain the place to waste. Smoke billowed everywhere, tanks were upside down, and alerts rang in a deafening tone. Buildings were in ruin. Where were the culprits?

"Red Alert!" thundered Optimus. "Enemy scan!"

The car next to him computed for a few seconds. "They're overhead!" This statement was punctuated by a laser blast next to him and coneheads emerging from an unknown place. Red Alert was blown aside but transformed without pain. "I'm all right!"

Optimus transformed rapidly. Taking aim, his gun blasted at the jets above him. Ramjet was hit. Spiraling down, the Decepticon screamed for the others to help. They ignored him. Optimus was in front of him immediately, gun drawn.

"What's Megatron up to?" Optimus demanded. The other Autobots rolled over and transformed around the jet, weapons out.

"I could've been on Cybertron!" he yelled back. "Now I'll never get a vacation!"

The others looked at each other and shrugged. Vacation? Spike comprehended.

"Did Megatron offer you guys a trip to Cybertron if you did – whatever this is?" Spike asked.

"That's not important," Optimus Prime reminded him. He could not care less about Megatron's employee motivational tactics. "What are you building?"

By now Ramjet's self repair was complete. "None of your beeswax, Auto-dorks!" he snarled, lifting off and releasing a bomb to send them scattering. Optimus rescued Spike from its blast but could not get up in time to stop Ramjet from escaping. The other Autobots slowly stood up, groaning. Optimus requested a status report.

"We're OK," said Hound. He lifted a foreign object. "Ramjet forgot this."

It was a large container of rocket fuel-empty; Ramjet did not want to crash with a full one in his possession.

"There's other stuff missing, too!" exclaimed Bumblebee as he rolled up to them. "The NASA guys got cleaned out of anything scheduled to take into space!"

"Optimus Prime, come in!" Mirage called over the radio urgently.

"What is it, Mirage?" he asked, picking his blaster out from the rubble while he talked into his arm's radio.

"We arrived at the steelworks in time to see Skywarp and Thundercracker leaving with all the steel they could carry! We are in pursuit!"

"We'll be there soon. Autobots! Transform and roll out!"

Spike dashed into Bumblebee's passenger seat. He was glad he'd quit the oilrig business.

Cheesy Flashback #4

"_Hurry up, Swindle!" Brawl was never known for his patience. He hated diving around in this dilapidated neighborhood, especially with so many Autobots behind him able to call for backup. He did not fear a fight. He just wanted to go home. Decepticons headquarters was not any closer to comfort, but at least it was the location of tasty energon._

_Swindle picked up the remaining pieces of his Autobot discovery hastily. "This could come in handy," he chirped to the other two. "We need a spy for some of our operations."_

"_You assume an Autobot can be turned. This is foolish. They are far too noble to ever consider that."_

"_You mean, stupid, " reminded Onslaught. "You forget, Blast Off, this particular femme is very valuable. She's a great asset to the Autobots." He transformed, allowing Swindle to load her onto him. "Swindle is correct, she will be a great asset to us, too."_

"_Oh no," moaned Vortex, who had overheard the whole conversation. "We are doing nothing of the sort!"_

_The van carrying the prisoners fired up, ending the discussion._

Chapter 8: Family

Megatron was pleased. The nearly remodeled, modified ship was nearly finished already. Amazing what a stupid promise accomplished.

"Keep it up! It's almost complete!"

The monitor on the portable computer beeped. "Calling Megatron!" It was Starscream, no doubt calling him to tell him why his plan won't work.

"What is it?"

"I have received a distress signal from Skywarp and Thundercracker. The Autobots are following them. Request permission to render aid?"

"Permission granted." Starscream going after the Autobots was a win/win situation.

"Starscream out." Starscream turned to the empty space next to him. "I suppose you will follow me."

"That's my assignment," replied the voice. She was not where he expected, causing him to jump.

"Fine! Then you should also help me by fighting!" He walked quickly to the door.

"I was not hired to be your bodyguard!" Mishap snapped, hands fluttering to the space in her chest where Megatron had placed her 'bonus.' She could afford to be his bodyguard, but she didn't want to. She hurried to catch up.

Skywarp and Thundercracker were nearby. Following them, on the ground, were half a dozen Autobots, most of whom Mishap knew. Somewhere she was glad to see them but this was drowned by a impulsive surge of contempt. Mishap was filled with rage. Piles of disloyal scrap! As quickly as it came, the feeling left her. She had to get it together. She almost lost it when she recognized one of the vehicles as her long-lost brother, who hadn't been in any of the prior battles. Underneath her Starscream gunned his engines and swooped down.

"Hit the dirt!" Optimus yelled, transforming into robot mode. Firing back at Starscream, he hollered commands to the surrounding troops. "Some of you follow the other two Seekers!"

"I'll get the steel stealers!" Brawn called gallantly. No one laughed. "C'mon, it's funny!"

"Not the fifth time you've said it!" Bumblebee yelled as his tires were shot out.

Mirage transformed and ran behind a hood-shaped rock. Turning invisible, he ran back out to hit Starscream where he least expected it. Mirage was tackled, dragged back behind the rock again, and pushed up against it as a shot ricocheted towards him. The shot missed but the pressure on his body remained.

"What the-" A figure appeared before him, arms squeezing him tight. Mirage felt his energon pump stop, causing him to reappear. "Oasis! Is it really you?" She was dead! It couldn't be! It barely looked like her!

She ignored the spark of anguish she experienced when he used her old, Autobot name. "Brother!" she sighed, voice box breaking. "Thank Primus you're still safe!" He stared at her. "It is me! Remember our races? Our card games? How you were afraid of the dark?"

"I was not!" he reacted to her old taunt instinctively. "It is you!" He staggered a little, still in shock. She backed away cautiously. "You look so-"

"Different?" She saw him appraising her lack of wheels, slimmer body, and more sculpted face. "Yeah, they tooled around with me a bit. There wasn't much to look at in the beginning." The twinge inside of her intensified. "I missed you so much!"

"What are you doing here?" Shots rang out around them as the Autobots tried to bring Starscream down. They ducked. "What happened to you?"

"The first million years?" she asked bitterly. "After my capture I was given two options: death or re-alliance." She fingered the Decepticon symbol on her chest. They made me swear to Megatron and I withered away in the pits until I was given a new directive."

He hugged her back "I am so sorry. We thought you were dead." Mirage embraced her tighter. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"So am I."

"Will you join us?"

Mishap was taken aback. She hadn't planned this, merely reacted to seeing her own metal and energy for the first time in forever.

"What? I can't do that!"

"What do you mean, you can't do that? Oasis, you're an Autobot!"

"Not anymore! I had to allow a part of myself to die to keep insanity at bay. I hated all of you for leaving me to decompose in that...(shudder) hole. Everyday I'm reminded of the horrible thing you left me to become, and I HATE the Autobots for it. I can't go back! Autobots give. I have nothing left to give, so I must be a Decepticon and take." Parts of her body hurt while she said this, as though some part of her programming was taking over her CPU. She tried to process clearly but everything was fuzzy.

"I don't believe that!" he cried, blue eyes pleading, royal blue hand stroking her arm. Robots hardly ever touch, unless it's affection. Mishap smiled. He never believed her when she was lying, even after all this time. She couldn't explain to him the conflict warring within, because it didn't make sense to HER.

"I don't either," she declared wearily. "But I don't know what to believe any more. The only ideals I had were erased from my memory banks. I want to come back-"

"Mirage!" yelled Optimus. "Are you alright?"

"Over here!" he answered, peering around the rock and waving his hand to his leader. Mishap cocked her gun at him. "What?" Is she insane?

"I have to get back. This is so you won't get into trouble for not fighting," she explained. "It's set on the lowest power." He collapsed at her shot, glaring in dismay. "I love you, my brother."

Chapter 9: Energon

Starscream was elated. Five Autobots in various wounded categories! Beat that, Megatron! Thundercracker and Skywarp had escaped, thanks to him.

"Are you impressed with my abilities?" he simpered to his invisible companion. She did not reply. "It was no thanks to you, either." Silence.

"Starscream! Where are you?" The only voice he heard was Megatron's.

"I'm on my way," he bayed joyously. "I beat five Autobots by myself! It was a grand sight to see-"

"-Megatron out," he interrupted, annoyed. Starscream got on everybody's circuits worst when he was bragging.

When Starscream arrived he beheld a sight unbelievable to him: a tower of energon cubes!

"Your modified ship idea is working well, Starscream," Megatron purred.

"Of course it works," Starscream hoarsely berated. His vocals had been used up boasting to his companion.

"Now take these back to base with you and recharge everything," Megatron commanded. He knew his head Seeker hated that task, which was why he delighted in assigning it.

"As you wish, Megatron." Starscream pressed the cubes into the more concentrated form and immediately placed them in his cargo hold. 'A pity my spy can't carry some for me,' he thought. 'That would spare me an extra trip.'

"And bring those empty cubes back! I need them!"

Starscream groaned. This would take forever! He flew back towards base and snarled at his secret trailing femme. "Why don't you do all of this and save me a great deal of labor?"

She still refused to reply to him. So she wanted to play that game! He could play it too. Arriving at the base, Starscream had the Decepticon computer do an energy scan. He refilled empty tubes, poured energon into some recharging plates, replaced empty cubes...bah! He was above this menial drudgery. After the second unloading the tower was almost gone and the base was nearly full. The third time over Starscream broke his reticence and asked Mishap of she was lacking any energy.

"I'm alright, thank you," she replied, surprised. This was the nicest gesture he'd made. Lucky for her he'd been found during his second trip to the base; her tracking device was not working on him. She was glad Megatron knew what to do with him, without her losing Starscream and giving anything away.

"She speaks!" Starscream replaced the last cube and turned to see where she might be.

"I don't have to engage in conversation with you," she returned, scooping a few energon cube containers up for him as he transformed. She placed them in his cargo hold and transformed herself.

Starscream was silent the long trip back. When he returned to the area where Megatron had energon cubes there was a cessation in work while Megatron gave a speech. They were cheering as Starscream landed.

"What's the excitement about?" he demanded as he stacked the last of the empty cubes.

"Megatron's putting us on skeleton crew!" Rumble crowed. "The jets, Soundwave, me, Lazarbeek, Frenzy, Ravage-"

"-Are going to Cybertron," Megatron interjected. "You, the Constructicons, and I will harvest more cubes here."

"Me! Why me!" Starscream howled.

"Because you whine the loudest!" Megatron countered. "Now, fill these energon cubes for the space bridge!" Decepticons raced furiously to accomplish the task that would bring them joy. Mishap smiled, wondering what other clues she dropped he would pick up.

Starscream began a litany of complaints that were ignored by all but Mishap, who could not think of her brother's words without the noise of this robot interfering. She wished he would shut up.

Cheesy Flashback #5

"_So what's the story with the two blue Autobots?" Moonracer asked Powerglide. They had watched Sunstreaker leave with both Nova and Andromeda after promising to show them his fuzzy dice collection. Moonracer was glad to have the handsome glider all to herself._

"_Mirage and Oasis?" he asked._

"_Yeah. That's cute!" She delighted in clever name schemes. "Are they bonded?"_

"_No!" He laughed. "They're siblings!"_

"_Oh!" she laughed too, hoping her innocent mistake would not be taken the wrong way. _

"_They get that a lot. I think it's a sibling thing; Sunstreaker has a twin that practically forms a gestalt with him."_

'_Is that healthy?' she wondered. 'How can robots grow and develop when they depend on each other so much?' She nodded to agree with him and changed the subject. Later in the hallway, on her way to report for patrol duty, she waved to Oasis, who was going the opposite direction with a set of keys in her hand. "I'm glad I met you guys," she said. "I'm sorry Mirage didn't get along with Nova." _

_Oasis nodded curtly. "He was a little shyer than I thought, I guess."_

'_I bet.' She watched the blue-and-white transformer play with the ring of keys nervously. "Well, I'm sure we'll all be great friends."_

"_Yeah!" Oasis sounded like she was trying too hard to be enthusiastic. _

"_Yes. Anyway...I'm on patrol in five minutes. I will talk to you later!" Oasis walked away without waving back. 'What a weirdo!' Moonracer thought._

_Oasis met up with her brother around the next bend, where he had paused while she went to get the ring of keys. He frowned at her._

"_You were kind of rude to her," he accused, accepting the keys from her._

"_I have nothing to say to her." He stared. "Sorry Mirage, I just don't."_

"_It wouldn't kill you to try to be friends with the females here."_

"_Like you are?"_

_Mirage winced. "That's not very nice."_

"_Sorry. Tell you what: We'll both make an effort to get to know one the females, and we'll try to be friends with her."_

_The mech gave her a funny look. "You're a lousy actress."_

_Oasis was annoyed her ruse had been seen through. "That was good! You know me too well, that's why you can call me out."_

"_You need to practice. Anyone who really pays attention would notice how bad you are."_

"_Thanks a lot! You think I should pretend I like Moonracer?"_

"_There's no need to do that. We're all friends here."_

"_That's easy for you to say. Everybody likes you here. I sometimes wonder if I belong."_

"_You belong!" They were traveling down the hallway at their usual leisurely pace. Gears, in his favorite breakneck speed, caught up with them and cleared his voice box twice to get them to allow him through. Oasis watched him shoot by, nearly running over Bumblebee. _

"_That bot is a menace!" she complained._

"_I have him for patrol buddy all next week," Mirage teased. "I'm telling him you called him that!"_

"_No!" she gasped._

"_Yes! Too bad he'd consider it a compliment."_

"_Coming from you, it would be!"_

"_What does that mean?"_

"_He respects you." Everyone she knew had great things to say about the male blue racecar._

"_I wish Optimus would," Mirage sighed. "He promoted YOU, not me."_

"_That was only because I got better marks on all of their tests. You're a much better communicator. Prime's coming around."_

"_You really think so?" They were at Ratchet's recovery room, ready to deliver his keys to the oil chest. He had left them in the cafeteria, was in a hurry with another task, and requested the favor. Now he was in the room, talking to Gears, one blue optic monitoring the pair at the door. When he saw the blue Autobots he motioned them to come inside._

"_Of course! You're great!" Making Mirage feel better about himself was a full-time occupation. _

_He smiled at her and patted her arm. "You're the greatest." He said._

Chapter 10: Revelations II

Sparkplug, the earthling Spike's father, was repairing the last of Mirage's damage. He was the last in line for repairs. After that, they would converge together for a meeting.

"Well, whatever it was didn't hit you that hard. Luckily, all you need is a little soldering and some polish." Sparkplug slammed his panel door shut with a satisfied bang. "Are you covered by HMO or PPO?"

"What?" Mirage was confused. Earth jokes went over his head.

"Nothing." Sparkplug jumped off of his bench and followed Mirage and Ratchet to Teletraan-1 to hear what Optimus had to say. The meeting had already started, and as far as Sparkplug could tell they were in search of Decepticons. His son and Spike's friend Chip were pushing buttons.

"Cosmos has picked them up over by South America-Brazil-look!" Teletraan showed their enemies in a far-off jungle gathering energon cubes and taking off. "Judging by their trajectory, they appear to be going to...Death Valley!"

"The space bridge!" Everyone yelled at once.

"Nah..." scoffed Ironhide. "We destroyed that space bridge last year! They'd never be stupid enough to build it in the same place!"

"I'm not willing to assume that," pondered Optimus. "Trailbreaker, Ironhide, Gears, Wheeljack, Jazz, Brawn, Hound, Red Alert, Powerglide! Follow me to check it out. The rest of you be ready to be called in."

"Let me go too, Optimus," offered Mirage at the same time Spike and Chip chorused likewise.

"Negative. It's too hot and too dangerous." He transformed into a truck.

"I have to! My-sister...might be there." Mirage hadn't planned saying it, but that wouldn't help now.

"Sister?" the surrounding vehicles asked. Optimus transformed back.

"Oasis? She's alive?" The magnificent red mech took a step back in shock. "The scouts said she was dead! You said she was dead! Are you certain?"

"As sure as the day we were created...Well, except that now she's a rebuilt Decepticon."

"What did they change?" Jazz knew he shouldn't interfere, but he couldn't resist. Did they make her look pretty?

"She's a jet! Except...she blames us for her fall, saying we could have saved her!"

Optimus' face, although almost never expressive due to the large facemask, had sapphire eyes that revealed grief. "If I had known..." He put his hand over the exposed part of his features.

Mirage felt desperate to comfort his leader. For some unknown reason Oasis had been one of Prime and Elita-1's brighter prospects, groomed to climb the ranks quickly. She and Mirage, leaders in espionage, had been set to join the commanding officers' rank at any time. She beat him to it. For some reason this had created a slowly growing rift between them, one that was never resolved. When they had been captured due to an explosive trap Mirage's team saw her in the wreckage, a smoking hulk that was an all too familiar sight in the war-ravaged area. By the time Mirage had been freed there was no trace of her among the rest of the mutilated machines. With no evidence, no recognizable body, and eyewitnesses including her own brother, Mirage had to admit to himself that she was dead. They had mourned her loss as every other robot did: unspoken, repressed bereavement, hidden away to keep a brave front going. Optimus seemed to take it hard, as he did with all of his Autobots, promoting Mirage immediately to her office and telling him that Oasis would NEVER be forgotten. Now Optimus appeared to wish she had been, as he silently shook his head in self-reproach.

"Is she a willing constituent to the Decepticon cause?" he asked. Mirage looked at him blankly. "Did she say that she was no longer an Autobot?"

"She did, but I don't think she meant it. She was a POW for so long. She thought we abandoned her!"

"How could she not mean it?" Gears demanded. He, like the others, had been eavesdropping. "Even if you are a Prisoner of War, you shouldn't join the other side. How do we know she's not exploiting that for sympathy; or a way to get to us through you, or even to hold out and see which side wins?"

"There was a POW like that here," Chip remarked casually. "He ran for President."

"Did he win?"

"No. Now BOTH parties fight over him, and he's stuck in between because of ideals he shares with each side. He's lost a lot of credibility trying to stick up for what he thinks is right."

"Yes!" Mirage did not want everyone to get sidetracked. "That's the same problem with Oasis!"

"I doubt it," Optimus Prime seemed to be agreeing with Gears. That was not good. Gears was a menace.

"Optimus, there's still some good in her," he plead. He recalled being shot. "...Somewhere. She's confused. I have to find her and get her over here! She can break whatever hold they have on her, I know it!"

Prime weighed his options heavily. He thought for so long most of his selected team returned to robot form. He stood, silently contemplating every possible outcome to every probable action. Finally, he spoke.

"Chip, what is the Decepticon's expected destination right now?"

"Same place, fifty miles father north." Even though these were impossible predictions to calculate, Chip could do it. Sparkplug had claimed more than once that Chip was psychic.

"Powerglide, you and Mirage go check it out. The rest of you be prepared for any call for backup."

Mirage smiled gratefully. "You won't regret this."

Optimus watched the hopeful Autobot leave. His chances of finding a stubborn turncoat jet willing to backslide, even for her brother, when asked a second time, did not fill him with hope. "I already regret this."

Megatron punched a button to lock in the needed latitudes/longitudes and the space bridge was ready. Coordinates set for Shockwave's building on Cybertron. He watched his jubilant team, except for the stoic Constructicons and the pouting Starscream, cheer as the circular walls lit up. The cloudy sky opened, swallowing them through a hole. When it closed sparks flew in the air and thunder clapped loudly. The sight could be seen for miles.

"Oh no! We missed it!" Mirage lamented.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch!"

"What?" What was WITH everyone today? Couldn't they communicate?

"Earth-saying. Hey! There's a few in the canyon!" He could barely make them out from their distance but it seemed a manageable number. Megatron, after hearing Starscream complain of the dust and sand in his gears, rolled his optics and resigned himself to a long month of worrying. An alarm went off and his sensors scanned the area to see Autobots far too close.

"Only two!" Megatron was insulted.

"They've discovered the space bridge!" Starscream wailed.

"Stop your complaining! Constructicons, disassemble the space bridge for a later use. Starscream, pick one and shoot! You defeated _five_ last time!" His second in command chose Powerglide, leaving Mishap's relative to him. Mishap was in a quandary now! Her feared leader with a twisted fetish or her recently wounded brother! Well, this was a non-CPU-er. She beat a hasty spot to Mirage's audioreceptors and told him to roll for it.

"Powerglide! We've been spotted! There's another half-dozen in the canyon!"

"Whoo-hoo!" yelled the foolhardy motored glider, shooting at Starscream now that he was in range.

"Optimus! We need backup!" radioed Mirage, frustrated with the situation. "I found Oasis-"

"Augh!" she screamed, as Megatron's well-placed shot aimed for the object under her pierced through her armor, wounding her deeply. She remained invisible.

"Powerglide! Get out of here!" Mirage tried to find where his sister might have landed but the distractions above kept him from connecting enough to sense her. "There are Constructicons nearby!"

"Never!" Powerglide was joined, thanks to Optimus' paranoia, by the Dinobots.

"Retreat!" hollered Megatron, already bored with this. The Constructicons were finished anyway. Starscream followed after a parting shot to Powerglide that could not have hit the broadside of the ark. Halfway to base, Megatron halted, hovering for a moment. Starscream reverently changed to robot mode.

"I'm going to find the Constructicons and tell them where to build the space bridge. You go on ahead." With a menacing look Megatron flew to the left, leaving Starscream alone.

"Wow. Ever since you came along, he's been giving me a lot more freedom," Starscream commented, awed. He transformed back into a jet.

"Could we..." Mishap came in too faint to hear over his engines. He responded with a 'what?' "Could we...please...stop a moment?"

She had never asked him for a favor before. Starscream was so bewildered he landed in the middle of a dusty farm without a word about his gears.

Mishap became visible and painfully transformed into a robot. She immediately collapsed, groaning. She was a mess. Sparks flew from her left shoulder, which had almost come off. Her back armor was roasted black. She must have been shot.

"Let me look at that," he demanded, coming closer. Her shoulder short-circuited as he approached. "This doesn't look too good." It looked WIERD. Who made her? There were parts in her Starscream had not seen in aeons. This piqued his curiosity. If he fixed her, he might discover a new type of body to make him stronger. "I need to get you back to the lab to see it without all of this electricity in the way." She shook her head, opening her chest cavity. It seemed fused shut until she swore at it to open. Mishap pulled out an almost-empty vial that had once held concentrated energon. The sparks stopped, showing a bad ion cannon wound.

'So that's how he pays you,' Starscream thought indignantly. Without her consent or foreknowledge he scooped her up, shoulder dangling, and alighted to the sky. Her lucidity was wavering as she asked him not to tell Megatron.

"Almost there," Starscream muttered, holding her tighter as the ocean winds blew harder. She was very cumbersome. "What do they call you, robot spy."

"They call me Mishap," she moaned, lavender eyes darkening in pain. Her arm was still sparking slightly.

Starscream chuckled as they entered the dripping tower amidst the tumultuous sea.

"A fitting moniker."


	3. Ballroom blitz

"I'm reaching out for something. Touching nothing's all I ever do. Oh, I softly call you over, when you appear there's nothing left of you"

Sweet

Chapter 11: Sedentary Life

Megatron checked in on his flying follower while he toiled in his laboratory. "What are you up to?" The sudden voice caused him to jump.

"I'm looking to extend the life of the Decepticon," he explained, reaching for another soldering iron. His hands shook so hard he dropped it

"I see." Megatron awkwardly paused, searching the room for a reason. "If any of the Constructicons wanders in here remind them of our meeting tomorrow. They were late to the last one." He left before his feeble command aroused a remark. He knew it was a lame excuse but he wanted to keep tabs on Starscream without raising suspicion; this was why he'd hired the amazing Mishap. Still, he never trusted any of his warriors fully, excepting Soundwave. Then again, Soundwave was an empty robot whose personalities were embodied in his tapes. He was a welcome relief from Starscream. That crazy mech had spent four days in his lab doing Primus-knew-what, talking to himself.

Starscream watched his leader, deep in thought, walk down the hall. He locked the door and turned to a corner of his lab. "He's gone," he told the corner, turning back to the chip-enlarger he was building. With larger chips, he could repair the circuits, lowering the need for replacements and keeping valuable information intact. The soldering iron was giving him trouble.

Mishap reappeared, giggling. Starscream had repaired her back and shoulder for two agonizing trail-and-error days until she felt well enough to do self-repair the third. He found out she was half-Autobot, which made her weaker in his estimation. That was disappointing. They were celebrating their luck, and Starscream's genius, with a stolen energon cube. She sipped it slowly but Mishap was not used to energon in vast potent amounts and was getting tipsy. Although Megatron's appearance had sobered her companion a little, Mishap felt exhilarated at being so close to getting caught.

"That was AMAZING!" she said, gulping more energon. Her near encounter with a very evil being had made her energon pump race. Fear was an accelerator of over-energizing. In the cube there was enough left for one more draught; she offered it to the scientist. He refused and she finished it off. This was satisfactory energon, he reasoned, not as good as the last batch he'd imbibed, but it gave a decent buzz. She was welcome to the majority of it. She silently contemplated several things before she spoke again, slurring slightly. "Didya ever wonder what we'd look like a different color?"

"I'd look swell green," Starscream replied, realizing that soldering would have to wait until the iron was fixed. Mishap cracked up. He started tinkering with some plans in his personal computer, muttering to himself. Mishap was tired of that. Starscream's voice was irritating to listen to, making her decide it was time for him to listen to someone else. After all, dialogue is infinitely better than soliloquy. Did he know she had a wonderful singing voice?

Starscream looked up at this _very_ sloshed transformer, amused. He did not know why, maybe because robots were funny in altered states. "No, I did not know that. Why have I never heard you?"

"Spies don't get to sing. They're kinda funny about that. When I worked in the pits I would sing to myself sometimes, if the pit people weren't listening. They hated music. Maybe I will more when I'm free."

He ignored the pity story. "What sort of music did you employ?"

She stopped swaying and considered this. "In the early days, anything I liked. Later it was war songs, like the Autobot fight song."

Starscream chortled at her claim. "Sing it."

"Here?" They would get caught!

"Nobody's around...go ahead."

Mishap tuned her voicebox and closed the flow of energon to her CPU.

Sung to the GVSU fight song

_We want an Autobot victory_

_For Cybertron we have pride_

_Our forces lead us on_

_Truth and right we're at your side_

_We want an Autobot victory_

_As our foes will quickly see_

_Raise your voices and cheer for a victory._

_Fight Fight Fight!_

Mishap was right; she had a beautiful voice. (Every Autobot does, but Starscream didn't know that.) This did not stop her audience from sneering. "Cute. Were you trying to win a war with that or assemble a glee club?"

She laughed. "True, it lacks teeth. It was a nice motivator though."

He snorted. "It motivated you to the other side."

She gave him a measured look. "What was yours?"

"Better!"

This tune needs no introduction

_Hail! to the victors valiant_

_Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes_

_Hail! Hail! Decepticons_

_the leaders and best_

_Hail! to the victors valiant_

_Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes_

_Hail! Hail! Decepticons,_

_the champions of the rest!_

It was her turn to be patronizing. "Very descriptive! Under ten words used!"

"There's more than that!" He realized she was teasing him. He involuntarily smiled.

"Was there a tune in the song or is it a lot of intimidating raillery?"

His smile faded a bit, embarassed. "My singing voice is an acquired taste." She bit back the comment that everything about him was an acquired taste. "You should hear us all yelling 'hail' at the same time. It's exciting."

Mishap remembered losing battles where that cry seemed to emanate from everywhere while her friends and family lay dying. 'Exciting' was hardly the word she would use. She shook off the horrific images in her databank, allowing more energon to pulse to her CPU. "I wonder why no one uses them any more."

"The Decepticons can't sing," he quipped, causing her to giggle hysterically.

As her laughter faded, new existentialism emerged. "A better hypothesis would be, which side is the right side?" she whispered. "Autobots or Decepticons...what happened to Reflector?"

"A question better not postulated," Starscream warned, alarmed. Reflector had tried to run for it and not gotten to the front of the Autobot's ark with his arms up before Megatron had overtaken him and shot all three parts to smithereens. Reflector had asked these same questions. He'd better get her out of here before things got dangerous. "You need to become invisible. It's time to allow the energon to process." Helping her to her feet, Starscream watched her fall into him, snickering. He hoisted her over his shoulder, impatiently smacking her rear end.

"Hey!" she snapped indignantly. She whacked him back with more force than he used.

"Disappear," he commanded.

"No need to hit," she glowered, leaving his sight.

Starscream hauled his burden unsteadily through the dark hallways, cursing the distance between the lab and his chambers. He was lucky a skeleton Decepticon crew made interference non-existent, allowing him to take her back without impediment. But where to put her? His floor, where he used to cleanse his binges, was littered with parts and CDs. He finally decided to turn his recharge plate off and placed her on it. After all, when out in the wilds of an unknown planet Seekers often huddled together for warmth and power conservation. She was half-Seeker, he rationalized. Ugh. The energon was kicking his CPU into throb mode. He nudged her before she went off line.

"Move over."

She moved onto her hip and placed an arm around him comfortingly. Her left hand rested on his right shoulder, her head on his left, left knee on his left knee. He unwillingly wrapped his left arm around her, for comfort reasons.

"I think you'd make a great green robot," she blurted, out cold before the addressee could think of a good response.

Starscream awoke to his internal chronometer telling him he had very limited time before his meeting. Mishap, snoring and obvious, was still deep in oblivion. She was cute. He reprimanded himself for thinking that, attributing the energon. As he slipped out from under her Starscream decided to let her sleep, figuring she could miss this.

Megatron scowled at his telecom screen. He was talking to Shockwave, who looked as irritated as a faceless robot could.

"I would have preferred more warning that a legion of Decepticons were accompanying the energon," he grumbled.

"You're supposed to be prepared for _anything_, otherwise I would scrap you and find a better guardian." He was sick of Shockwave's indecision. If he could find a way to meld Shockwave's reverence and logical thinking with Starscream's strategy and cynicism, he'd have a perfect robot. "In what activities are my warriors engaged?"

"Energon bar-hopping, reuniting with old acquaintances, killing Autobots...Soundwave sits outside and watches whatever happens around him."

"Excellent." Their attitudes would be significantly improved when they returned. Megatron saw Starscream's face twitch with jealousy. Both were saved by the late arrival of the Constructicons. "Now that we're all here..."

Mishap leapt online with a jolt when Starscream came back to his chamber to gather more parts for his lab project. She was surprised over many things: 1) she never over-slept, usually she could sense when he awoke and did the same; 2) Mishap had not slept on such a nice recharge plate since before the war; 3) she had never been so thoroughly over-energized. She inwardly gasped. Did they recharge together? NOBODY did that! Yet-it felt nice. This caused Mishap a great deal of discomfort. Embarrassed, she covered her consternation by asking him: "Where have you been?"

"I had a meeting with everyone who's still here. Megatron decided to wait until our team is complete to accumulate more energon." He wasn't sure if his whining or the Constructicon's argument of numbers (the Autobots would overrun them) convinced Megatron to regard this time as their own time off. It was not worth questioning.

"At least you don't have to go to space to get energon, thanks to your modifications." Mishap yawned and stretched, getting up to follow him out the door. She disappeared. If he wasn't going to make an issue out of their snuggling, neither would she.

"Megatron refuses to acknowledge me!" he ranted, taking leave of the room. Mishap hurried behind him, as Starscream assumed she would, for he never ceased his bitter discourse. "He allowed the most ridiculously mundanely idiotic Decepticons go to Cybertron, but not me!"

"You know full well why he won't let you go," Mishap retorted. "That would be the equivalent of him leaving you in his throne room with every password he has."

Starscream stopped so quickly she nearly ran into him. Usually his velocity was much faster than hers, forcing her to run. When he was angry his momentum doubled. "You have access to his throne room," he reminded himself.

"Let that impulse burn out immediately," she snarled. The aftereffects of the energon binge were vengefully kicking in. "I'm not working for you." She regretted that the minute she said it. Now he was angry. For the rest of the week he scowled, cross to everyone, inspiring her to choose to remain unseen and taciturn. This irritated him further, but he refused to address the problem out of pride. Mishap was a little hurt, which irked her to no end. Why did it get to her that neither of them was willing to break down and talk? 'Besides', she told herself as she settled to monitor him as he recharged alone, 'my job is to watch him and report to Megatron, not establish rapport'. It still bothered her.

One day he was walking down the main hall at varying speeds, hoping to get readout of where she was. Nothing. She cloaked herself too well. His annoyance exceeded his self-respect and he finally scratched, "Mishap?"

"Yes?" He still couldn't place that voice's location.

"I tire of not knowing where you are hiding," he complained.

"When we are outside of your chamber, you know I can't disclose myself...but-" Before she and Mirage learned to detect each other when invisible, they devised a simple method of revealing their whereabouts. Mishap reached over and placed her hand in Starscream's. "-this might work." She interlocked their fingers. Wow. Mirage never felt like this.

"What if I have to shoot?" Starscream was startled. Robot warriors do not touch, and as such she had not been in his recharge plate since their night of over-energon. This was an altogether new sensation.

"I have your non-shooting hand."

"What if I'm carrying something?"

"We'll figure something out." She was as flustered as he was. The idea of taking her hand back entered and exited her mind the minute he began to walk again.

Severely disturbed by this strange Autobot custom that overshot his touch receptors, Starscream commenced walking to his chamber, slower than usual, assuring himself the minute he got there she would release him and materialize.

Let him go she did, but to his surprise she did not appear. "Where are you now?" he asked.

"I have to report to Megatron," she replied. She hoped he would lay on his plate and read a CD or something. He asked her what she told their leader. "The truth." As the door closed behind her she amended, "Mostly."

Cheesy Flashback #6

_Swindle was soldering the chestplate hinges with Onslaught watching when Blast Off wandered in. He asked what they were up to._

"_I have isolated her spark," said Swindle, gesturing to the metal container with a bright light glowing from within._

"_Impressive." It WAS impressive. Usually the spark was lost in the transition. "What else have you accomplished?"_

"_I discovered an interesting datum of the Autobot anatomy: They not only have blue optic covers, but the lights behind the optics are blue as well. I placed the Decepticon red optic covers in; now her eyes are purple. Isn't that nice?"_

"_Lovely," he commented, not caring. "Swindle, what is going to keep this Autobot alive?"_

"_The spark re-instated will bring her back to function, as well as a jolt of electrodes to begin circulation. To pre-empt your next question-" He had not thought of another. Swindle merely enjoyed showing off. "I have been upgrading her as I go with spare Seeker parts. She has enough Decepticon in her to keep her loyal."_

"_How so?" asked Onslaught._

"_Well, the parts alone have loyalty chips embedded in them. Also...have you heard of 'learned helplessness'?" The two answered in the negative. "It is the state of being in which the subject suffers from a severely negative condition at such length and frequency that she will believe that the situation is uncontrollable and that coping is not advantageous. After my experiments with Gundarks-" he gestured to the wall shelves supporting cages of miserable animals, several with their ears pulled off. "I discovered that when I opened the cages to let them out, they remained sedentary. Only a few escaped! After a lot of experimenting with their brainwaves, I finally configured the correct analogous program to create a component-" here he brandished a circuit chip and implanted it into her chest cavity. "-that will ingrain this attitude into her. She's ours!" He soldered it into place, murmuring under his breath: "I think. It's still experimental."_

_Blast Off was amazed. He and Onslaught were applauding when Vortex came in with Brawl. They too, were amazed. "I'm glad you slimmed her down a bit and refined her features as well," commented Brawl. "She was ugly."_

"_Appearance is not our main concern!" reprimanded Swindle, fastening her new wings to her shoulders. He kicked her old wheels from her car body aside to allow more room. "Although it doesn't hurt." He placed her spark inside of its container and slammed her chestplate shut. He positioned Onslaught at the door as he set up the electrodes to shock her system back to functioning. "Gentlemen, are you ready?" They nodded. "Set the electricity for 1000 volts."_

_Using the electricity to shock her alive worked at a surprisingly low voltage. Females usually required more than 1000 volts. She sat up, screeching like a banshee. Gasping, she looked desperately at the strangers around her and promptly disappeared. The electrodes were hastily pulled off one by one._

"_That will not work, my dear," Swindle, bored, informed her. His gun stayed pointed to the spot he last saw her. She appeared, staring at her reflection in the mirror Brawl promptly provided._

"_That's me?"_

"_Indeed. Comely, aren't you? We have rescued you from death."_

"_Why?"_

"_We need you. You are the best Autobot spy known, and we desire your assistance to help us take over Megatron."_

"_What if I don't?"_

"_You are surrounded by five Decepticons who do not play nice." Behind her Onslaught cracked a few knuckles. "You will die NOW, if you do not swear an oath to help us."_

"_I would rather die."_

_Swindle turned to Vortex, disappointed the chip was not activating any attitude besides the one with which she was created. "This may take awhile."_

"_I have a lot of time," he said, grinning evilly as he approached the bright blue female, reaching for the soldering iron._

Chapter 12: Suppositions

Mishap arrived in front of Megatron's throne room door full of trepidation. She hoped she could withstand another one of his...advances. Her circuits burned for another vial, but the prerequisites appalled her. The door flew up and he was behind it, beckoning her in. It was a bad sign that he was not seated. She knelt before him as far away as she thought satisfactory.

"What news have you, robot spy Mishap?"

She described the chip enlarger. Megatron was amazed. She told of his theft of an energon cube for inebriation. He was amused. She reported Starscream's open and searing resentment of Megatron's preferential treatment of others. He was unabashedly chuckling.

"He believes that he does more around here, thus his grudge endures." She did not venture the opinion of Starscream feeling better if he went to Cybertron, not because it would appear to be a ploy, but if Megatron wanted her analysis he would ask for it. Optimus had been the same way. Megatron asked for more information. Mishap reported him sulking more than usual.

"Excellent." Everything was going the way it should. He dismissed Mishap with no further questions. After a moment, it appeared that the dreaded/anticipated vial would not appear. Relieved, she stood up with a deferential expression to keep him from second-guessing her. She sensed that he watched her leave. Cloaking herself from sight, Mishap returned to find Starscream on his charging plate. He was offline.

A side effect of not being offered an energon tube was that Mishap had no source of power. The plate Starscream lay on looked tempting, more so than ever thanks to the glow surrounding him. Why not? She'd done it before, even if that time was initiated by Starscream. He was dead to the world, she rationalized, ignoring the smile it brought to her face at the notion of being close to him again. Mishap cautiously worked her way around his body and tangled herself in his arm, leg, and wing. The minute she felt the welcome surge it caused her to sigh.

"Ahhhhh..." she said, snuggling close.

In the dark, Starscream's eyes glimmered.

Chapter 13: Autobots II

Mirage was justifiably upset. Upon hearing of his sister's rescuing him from an ion cannon shot Optimus declared that Mirage would hereby avoid all battles in order to keep both Autobots safe. Yes, he said 'Autobot(s).'

"Normally I would enjoy avoiding conflict, but Prime, I have to be the one to save my sister," Mirage pleaded.

"Negative. We will find a way to contact Oasis at a more appropriate time," came the authoritative response.

Mirage, furious, protested this order. Who would she willingly talk to? Bumblebee? Most of the people she knew were either dead or on Cybertron. She knew, and trusted, her brother: the mech who had been created and raised with her. Everyone else had let her down. The minute she could, she had come to him. She saved his life, warned them of the other Decepticons-saved Powerglide, too. This had to mean something! He must be getting through to her! Only he! Could Optimus Prime, whom she might still reject as a leader, convince her to come home? He doubted that. Optimus bore these affronts with dignity.

"Mirage, there is potential harm to her if Megatron figures out what is going on. For now, I want you to stay here." He watched his normally placid Autobot collapse on the ground, calling on all of his inner strength to obey his leader. "I'm sorry I had to give that order," Optimus rumbled sympathetically, "but neither of you will benefit from being destroyed by Decepticons." He helped Mirage stand up and lead him back into the ark, where he had brought him out for this discussion. Most were recharging in tanks powered by the harvesting of the volcano's thermal energy. As they walked in a surprisingly modulated Powerglide stepped forward from deeper in the hallway.

"Hey Mirage," he greeted, putting his arm around the blue and white robot, "I remember Oasis. When we worked together, we were all such great friends. (sigh) Primus, I miss her, too. I KNOW that whatever they did to her, the REAL Oasis is still there, and if there's a way to bring her back, we will."

"Thanks, Powerglide." Mirage was truly touched. This usually blase Autobot had been the only one to grasp what Mirage was feeling. Optimus regarded the two cautiously, but decided to reserve commenting until he could be sure he was right in his suspicions.

"Optimus! Come quick!" Chip was at Teletraan-1, pushing buttons as fast as his tiny human hands could. All three raced over. What new danger was at hand?

"Hey!" Optimus Prime cried out in dismay.

"Wow!" exclaimed Bumblebee, who'd been there the whole time. "Chip, you're amazing!"

Ironhide heard the commotion in the other room and raced in, blaster drawn. "What's the problem?" He drawled. It had been almost a month since they'd seen any action. He looked quizzically at Prime.

"Chip has just beaten my old Pac-Man Score," Optimus informed him glumly.

"Awww, man! You were on that thing all weekend!" Now Ironhide would be in third place instead of second on the "Top Scorers" list. "My turn next!"

"No!" several objected, before Teletraan-1 interrupted.

"Warning! Warning! Warning! Decepticon activity located!" Teletraan's flashing screen cleared Chip's Pac-Man game and made them all jump.

"That wasn't saved!" Chip cried.

"Yes!" hissed Optimus under his breath.

Chip tried to get the right channel to locate the picture of the Decepticons. Fuzz, fuzz, fuzz, the Pac-Man game's opening credits, fuzz-

"Form arms, and body! And I'll form...the head!" They were enthralled. What kind of gestalt Decepticon was this?

"Wheeljack's been watchin' earth TV agin," Ironhide explained.

"Vol-tron!" Chip shook himself out of his reverie and flipped the next channel to see a new space bridge.

"It's in...Afghanistan!"

"That's halfway around the world!" Bumblebee moaned. "And Skyfire's on patrol!"

"We'll have to try," said their leader. "Autobots! Transform and roll out!"

The Autobots arrived in time to see the Decepticons flying away. Again! "Argh!" yelled Optimus Prime, frustrated. This happened more often than he cared to admit. "Chip! Project their intended location!"

"Optimus," Chip radioed a few seconds later, "They've split into two factions! Some are on their way back to the space bridge!"

"Autobots, take cover! We've been detected!"

Megatron had sent the Constructicons, with Starscream and Skywarp, to guard the space bridge. They were to radio the moment any enemies were spotted.

"Spotted!" sang Skywarp, purple and black body shining in the fading sunlight He swooped to the earth, guns blazing. "And shooting!"

Starscream flew down behind him and wondered which one he should attack first when someone soared above him, firearms flaming and mouth blathering.

"Look out, Decepti-creeps! Here comes ole' Powerglide!"

Starscream pulled up hard, yelling for Skywarp to regroup with him and for the Constructicons to form Devastator. "Everyone attack! Why did Megatron pick this place?" He squawked. The space bridge was near a mountainous range. The rocky terrain hid the Autobots and everything looked grayish, thanks to the clouds building up, making it hard to differentiate sky from ground. The lack of sun kept the Autobot's metal from reflecting.

"Where on Cybertron did this cold front come from?" asked Skywarp, blaster hitting the obnoxious yellow Autobot none of them liked.

Optimus Prime looked from behind his boulder cautiously as he reloaded. His team was pinned behind the rocks, their bright colors forcing them to stand out from the bland mountainside. When he radioed for Skyfire and the Dinobots he heard Mirage ask if Oasis had appeared. Hastily ducking a shot from Starscream he answered in the negative. A ray from Devastator's blaster turned his hiding place into pebbles.

"Shit!" he yelled, dashing to another spot while firing his gun as fast as he could. As he found cover, the sky opened up with a loud boom of thunder and a half a ton of rain.

"Argh!" yelled Devastator as a bolt of lightening short-circuited him. He remained assembled. "I HATE being a walking lightening rod!" He could not make out the enemy at all, unless the lightening struck to reveal their scurrying about the mountainside. He fired at what he thought his scanners perceived and hoped for the best.

Starscream was pleasantly aware of the lack of precipitation due to an invisible umbrella. "So that's where you are!" he smiled to himself. Unfortunately, he was not the only robot who saw this break in rain continuance.

"Starscream! Look out above you!" yelled Skywarp. Mishap panicked. Transforming, but keeping her invisibility (the little good it did her), she shot Skywarp. He spiraled down and hit Devastator, which caused him to explode. Six Constructicons and a Seeker jet lay on the ground, shaking off the shock. Mishap ducked behind a rock in time to see Optimus Prime dash in past her to the neighboring rock. His scarlet back stared at her like a giant target. That familiar pain she encountered when talking to her brother emerged, and her fury took over. Energon pumping hard, she cocked her gun.

Like the rain dissolves all fragile entities, Mishap's vengeful resolve broke the moment she saw her former mentor's face. He could not bring back those millions of years, as badly as she wished the capture had not happened. The pain doubled and moved up her arm. Her gun dropped to the ground, appearing. Optimus turned around.

"Mirage? Os that you?" He knew better.

"No, Optimus." Mishap backed away, horrified at her response. She had to get out of here before she was caught.

"Wait! Oasis!" Before she realized it, a huge dark blue hand reached out to her. The lightening emphasized his hidden face. His bright blue eyes blazed with desperation. "Please," he begged. "Where are you?"

"Right here," she said, her hand in his as she appeared. Optimus gasped. He pulled her into his arms and hid more behind the rock, crouching from any Decepticons. "I am so sorry," he sobbed. The rain, which Mishap thought couldn't fall any harder, lashed at them. "I thought you were dead. If we'd known, we would have rescued you."

"Optimus, please..." she was struggling to break free from his arms like a cat in a child's grasp. He was going overboard, but it was the jolt of unconditional love that she'd longed for since the Decepticons captured her.

Powerglide landed in front of them. "The Decepticons are retreating!"

Panic filled her again. "The Decepticons are leaving? I have to go!" She successfully pried herself out of her former leader's fatherly embrace. Powerglide dashed over.

"Oasis!" Not another hug! Too late! Great Primus, this was the worst love-fest ever! It felt like a relief, though. The pain in her chest receded with her friend's affection. Unfortunately, all was superceded by the compulsion to follow the Decepticons.

"I have to go!" she cried again.

"Are you serious? You want to go back there, with our enemies, no friends-"

"I have a friend," she shot back.

"Enough!" Optimus Prime bellowed over the thunder, blue hand up again. "Oasis, Mirage has claimed your need to be rescued. I have yet to witness that, and judging by your actions, you seem to enjoy being a Decepticon."

"That's not true!" How could he say that? "You abandoned me! I was rescued by Decepticons, not you! Optimus...they changed me. I swore an oath. If I go back on that, I have nothing." The Autobots would never trust her, and the Decepticons would kill her before she left the area. Unless he had some great plan to ferry her back to Cybertron to hide with some small hidden faction, she was stuck. Surely he realized that! "I was lost to you, but I would be a traitor to them. How could I live with myself?"

"You are not lost to us," Optimus assured her.

"We still know who you are," Powerglide confirmed, arms still around her.

"I know. I want to go with you, but...but...I-I-can't-" The image of her brother's face, then somebody else's, alternated in her CPU, making her wretched. The anxiety grew with every second Mishap remained with them, until it was almost unbearable. She buried her head in Powerglide's shoulder, body wracked with indecision. They waited. Finally she looked up at both of them in the unfeeling gloom of the rainstorm, her eyes indigo to their navy. "I have unfinished business." Tracks was flying over them, joyfully ululating the Autobots' victory. Prime deferred an unnecessary meltdown by overriding any impending conclusion coming from his favorite spy.

"Oasis, go," Optimus intoned, watching her pull away from Powerglide and turn to him. "When you are ready, you will return." Her whole beautiful face lit up in gratitude. The smile was definitely hers. Prime remembered it on this mostly foreign femme.

"That is wonderful! Thank you. I will not forget, I'll be back." She grabbed her gun and disappeared without a backward glance.

Powerglide looked at his leader in disbelief. "What wrong with her! That's not the Oasis I know! She's insane! She's different! She needs to be fixed, and you let her go! We'll never see her again!" he chastised.

"We will," he promised, looking at the almost black sky, the memory of Teletraan's image of Reflector's burning carcasses in his CPU. "Before or after she makes up her mind? I don't know."

Cheesy Flashback #7

_Oasis had returned from an officers' briefing to find Mirage having a mug of hot energon with a whole table full of unfamiliar male and female Autobots, all of them a rank or two below her. She recognized Moonracer among them. Coming up to the table with caution, she greeted everyone cheerfully. Mirage asked how the meeting went. "Just fine," she said, meaning that it was boring. They were planning another method of energon accumulation. Oasis was not allowed to reveal any classified information to these underlings, so she had to remain reticent while they discussed Autobots she did not know. This was boring, too. When it became apparent Mirage was having fun without her being there, she excused herself and hid in her room. The door knocked later and she assumed it was her brother FINALLY coming over to play their favorite card game, as they did around this time of the week._

_Powerglide entered. "Hey," he greeted. "Mirage sends his regrets. He's not coming this time, he's sorry, but he sent me to come over and learn to play."_

_Again! This was the fifth time in a row. "No offense, Powerglide, but I'm not really in the mood to teach." She picked a CD up to read._

"_None taken." He stayed where he was, something he did only when he had bad news. She waited._

"_What is it?"_

"_How well do you know Mercuria?"_

_Oasis paused thoughtfully. "Silver?" He nodded. "Faster car-type." He nodded again. "I take it that she likes him." He nodded. "Good for her. I hope they're happy."_

"_You're not bothered?" Powerglide asked cautiously._

_YES! "No, not really. I couldn't pick anybody he liked. I'm glad he likes someone that is smarter than half of the females out there." She was beautiful, too. Oasis had never considered herself a great beauty. Many overtly agreed. Mirage must be one of them._

_After all those weeks of his denying ANY female worthy of his company, Oasis was a little taken aback by his sudden attentions to the most popular female Autobot. She had to be mature about this: if Mirage preferred the company of another female, then her throwing a temper tantrum would not change it. She decided to keep her dignity and pretend it didn't bother her that her only living family member abandoned her. Powerglide eyed her suspiciously and said he was glad everyone was happy about it._

"_Do you still need someone to play cards with you?" His tone implied he would rather be elsewhere._

"_No, I guess not."_

"_Alright. Give me a call if you need anything." He turned and hurried out. Oasis disappeared so that even her boring ugly reflection in the shiny metal wall could not show her upset._

"_This is stupid!" she said to herself. "I REFUSE to sit around feeling sorry for myself." She remembered her proposal to make a female Autobot friend. Since he was living up to his end of the bargain, it was her turn. Searching her databanks, Oasis thought of Chromia, who had always been friendly to her. Maybe she would be interested in having fun._

"_Autobots assemble!" The next day Prime called the ranks to fall in before he dispensed them to double guard-duty. As much as he hated making them work for two shifts instead of one, Optimus had no choice. They were low on staff all that month, until Ironhide and company returned from their energon run. He looked at his odd mixture of large, small, mech and femme-bots of various ages and ranks. As he reminded them of their duty to call in at certain intervals, Optimus noted that Oasis and her brother were not paying attention to his speech. They were squabbling over last night's activities._

"_I came over and you were gone!"_

"_After you sent Powerglide to tell me you were with someone else!"_

"_I TOLD him to tell you I was coming over later!"_

"_Too bad. I didn't want to wait indefinitely, so I hung out with Chromia and Elita-1."_

"_Did you make friends with your top officials?"_

"_What does THAT mean?" She comprehended a block of red in her peripheral vision. She looked up, surprised that they had been noticed._

"_Are you finished?" Optimus Prime asked sarcastically._

"_Yes, sir," they chorused. Oasis was embarrassed. This would not look professional to the other officers around them._

"_Good." He paused for a moment. "Are you working together today?"_

"_No, Optimus." He was glad. The minute he turned his back he heard them bickering again._

"_I knew you resented me getting promoted!"_

"_That's not true! You're mad at me for not being around you all the-"_

"_Mirage! Oasis! Do you mind?" Optimus was annoyed. The rest in line snickered._

"_Sorry, sir." Optimus broke them up into their groups and hoped this acrimony would blow over soon. A little time away from each other would do them good._


	4. How soon is now?

"I am the son and heir of nothing in particular. You shut your mouth, how can you say I go about things the wrong way?"

The Smiths

Chapter 14: Suspicion

"I tell you, Megatron, there's something's wrong with Starscream," Skywarp intoned.

"Elaborate." They were gathering energon cubes at the modified ship. Starscream radioed Megatron after their retreat to inform him that, as commanded, he and the Constructicons were re-assembling the space bridge elsewhere, and that Skywarp would report in his stead.

"He's up to something. He used to sit around and tell us all how he would take over everything, but now he's always by himself. The jets, the tapes, even Soundwave hear him talking to himself all the time. He never does nothin' he used to. He also used to fight back when we made fun of him, right Dirge?" Dirge, a cone-headed jet, nodded. "He's too quiet now. Softer, somehow."

"You are right!" Mishap had reported this. He did not think anything of it, until now, preferring to assume it was Starscream being himself. The odd thing was the obviousness of it. What changed his behavior so noticeably?

"I think the Autobots are controlling him. I saw an invisible...thing flying over him during the battle. When I told him to watch out, it shot me."

Megatron thought deeply for less than a second, concealing his true reaction. He turned abruptly to Soundwave. "Soundwave! Get Laserbeak to spy on the Autobots. We have to make certain they are a few light years behind us." As Soundwave commissioned Laserbeak Megatron addressed his informant. "Good work, Skywarp."

Kneeling before her leader, Mishap defended his accusation of her getting lazy. "It was raining."

"You had no reason to be on top of him!" Megatron yelled.

"Starscream has been talking to himself again," she replied quietly.

"You speak out of turn," he corrected. She apologized. "What does he say?"

"Incomplete sentences, mostly. He's been playing with the modified ship plans a lot, although you approved the final plans last week. Unless there's something I don't know?"

"What you don't know could fill a black hole. Take me to his laboratory," he commanded, pausing to consult the computer. Most Decepticons were in the common room, socializing. "Shiftless brutes!" he muttered. "Come." She followed him throughout the hallways to Starscream's lab, with difficulty. Megatron was faster and more agitated than her usual prey. He didn't hold her hand, either. The door closed behind them with a thud.

Visible, Mishap presented the plans on Starscream's personal computing device, opening with his password. She showed Megatron his modified modified spaceship plans.

"So he desires a giant laser function on it as well," Megatron supposed. The plans were complicated lines and angles and notes that came together quite nicely. Starscream, like his mentor, had a watchmaker's ability to work on minute parts and see the whole at the same time, making a brilliant plan feasible. His faults were unrecognized until the cold light of reality hit him, or his master's fist, depending on implementation. Megatron uploaded the files to his own computer, turned and walked out. "Follow," he snarled. Invisible again, Mishap trailed her leader out of Starscream's lab to run into the subject in question. "So you wish to modify the modified ship," Megatron growled.

"Megatron? I-I-I-"

"Stop your sniveling! I was about to commend you."

"You were?"

"This laser can be used against those irritating Autobots." He smirked evilly. "We can dispose of them permanently."

"Th-Thank you, Megatron." Starscream was amazed. "But how did you know of my plans?"

"I told you to watch your back." Megatron turned away from his second-in-command.

Mishap returned to Megatron's throne room, manifested, and awaited orders. He presented her with another vial. "Oh sweet Primus," she whispered. It called to her. Her metallic skin went hot.

"I believe you are overdue." He held up the one object Mishap had not believed she could physically react to: the sight of her evil ruler grasping the robot equivalent of crack.

"Your Excellency, I thank you for such a generous gesture." What was she going to do? Her CPU raced, but all were dead ends. She had to avoid that thing, no matter what.

"You are welcome." His voice darkened significantly to match his garnet optics. "Now come and get it."

"Sir...I suffered from side effects not desirable a second time," she explained, walking towards him anyway. "I would like to assume..." She took the vial, optics locked in his. "...perhaps you are in need of a replacement yourself?"

His jaw dropped. "You are a dirty, dirty little femme," he moaned in the same dark voice as he eagerly opened his chest cavity. This was more like it! Megatron waxed nostalgic about a time when he had two or three of her kind a DAY and never got enough of it. Mishap tried to smile, although she really wanted to tear him apart with her bare hands. He had six holes, all filled with vials at various levels. Mishap removed an empty one and prepared to keep her job.

When she left she turned a corner and bumped into Starscream.

"I know you're there. I heard what was going on." He actually looked more hurt than disgusted. Mishap remained intangible, dismay mounting. She felt defensive for doing what most of the mechs here do on a daily basis: keeping their commander happy.

"I have a job to do, Starscream," she explained, not moving. "If I betray you, I feel terrible. If I betray me, I hate myself. If I betray Megatron, I'm DEAD." He folded his arms and glared. "You would do the same."

"Not to you," he said so gently that Mishap was astonished. Her voice faltered.

"I tell him-well, anything I know he won't-use against you...you KNOW he likes to steal your ideas for himself." He remained silent. "I'd rather him use you for that than give him an excuse to kill you." Still nothing. "You are being unreasonable."

Starscream brooded. "Did you get your reward?"

"I refused it. Megatron took it."

Starscream whirled around and stalked to his room. Mishap raced after him. Halfway there, he reached out his hand to take hers.

Chapter 15: Shadowboxing

"Decepticons assemble!" Megatron's radioed voice cut through the fog of the Starscream's night of recharging. He gently shook the already online Mishap awake.

As they dashed through the dark corridors Mishap redoubled her steps to keep from trailing and pondered the amazing way the same amount of energy can recharge two robots, the only result being Starscream's level of agitation lowering significantly. Mishap's regular plate sharing not only kept him from over-energizing, in their very rare pre-offline conversations she occasionally soothed his fractured ego from attacks it received from the silver mech in charge. Megatron spared no expense in riling his meticulous Decepticon. Today was no exception.

"Starscream, your meandering construction of the modified modified ship tries my patience." They were not even through the door yet!

"We're going as fast as we're programmed," Starscream huffed. "I need more workers!"

"You need more shots to your afterburners!" Megatron snarled. "I want this project completed! NOW!" The meeting broke up posthaste. Flying out of the tower, Starscream led his Decepticons to the construction site.

"Starscream, I thought we'd be done by now," Rumble groused, preparing himself for the standard issue of obscenities, along with the obligatory 'Pipsqueak.'

"It's not assembling the way I expected," he replied absently as they landed. Perusing the plans again, as though to see a new porthole to clarity, he missed the exchanged glances. He looked up in disgust as Skywarp made a nasty comment. "Back off man, I'm a scientist!"

Mishap took a seat. This was one of the times she was thankful she was a spy instead of one of them. Starscream was terrible at giving directions, especially when he was reeling from an attack from Megatron. His compatriots scowled at his illogical delegations. He ignored them. If there was one thing Mishap had learned from her years in the pits, it was that shutting off your optics to blatant and latent cues of your workforce was a bad idea. They continued working, although there was overt internal dissent. Mishap suddenly wondered if this was some scheme of Megatron's to quash Starscream's status with his fellow co-workers. If this were the case, she did not want her charge to be the victim. The moment no one was around Mishap whispered to Starscream one of the obvious flaws in his execution.

"What do you know?" he snarled.

"I worked with rebellious slaves and the politically oppressed while you lay inert on the floor of an Autobot ship!" she snapped. "I bet you I'll sleep on the ground a week if my control is better than yours."

"That is not necessary," Starscream returned. "If you are wrong, if you are correct, it does not matter: Megatron desires my failure."

Oh, no. "That's not true. He would have put another in charge if he did not-"

"This is not the first time, nor will it be the final." Starscream turned to answer Rumble's question. Rumble was perplexed, causing more hostility in their dialogue. That was not Rumble's job, it was Ramjet's. Starscream didn't care. Mishap repeated Starscream's request in better semantics as a murmur in Rumble's ear.

"Mishap! You're still here!" He was delighted. It was a nice change of pace. With a pang she thought of Optimus' silly greeting. Megatron had her here for business, the pits had been impersonal, and the upstarts who revived her only spoke with guns and soldering irons in their hands. Starscream yelled at her. Short of this diminutive Decepticon, only Mirage had really given her the warmth and respect that made her feel appreciated.

"Shhh..." she whispered, a smile in her voice. She glanced at Starscream, but he had turned away. "You are one of the few who knows this." She followed him to the back of the tower, where the others were engaged in various levels of activity.

"So who else knows?"

"The blue mech you live in-Soundwave."

"That's nothin'. He's just an empty tape player. WE control him." He gestured to Frenzy and Buzzsaw, who were trying to solder a mirror in place.

"Oh." This was a harsh dismissal of the Decepticon who housed and protected him. "So how are you?"

"The same. Megatron thinks his gesture of a vacation will carry our good feelings toward Starscream. Ain't no way! We didn't want to come back here to HIM."

"I'm not surprised. I'll work on him."

For the next week Mishap tried to get Starscream to phrase his commands correctly and give assignments that did not generate protest. The least he could do was stop calling everyone 'idiot.' Occasionally he parroted what she said, mostly he ignored her. When something went wrong, and he saw how her way had been right, he was impossible. Her discovery of a major design flaw, and her perfect response to his taunt to fix it, sent him over the edge.

"Who asked you?" he bellowed. Mishap was glad he could not see her grin.

"You did."

"I've had enough of you! Shut up and act like a real spy!" Starscream childishly turned away.

"As you wish." Mishap leapt on a nearby rock and gave Starscream enough rope to hang himself.

By the end of the project, nothing had been properly accomplished. Mishap's careful management and brilliant ideas had been ignored in the name of pride. At least, she thought it was that way. For some reason it was easy to blame Starscream when even fate did likewise. Tensions ran as high as Megatron's temper.

"Starscream! You are as useless as a human! The Constructicons are taking over and YOU go back to headquarters! I assign you-"

"No!" He knew what was coming.

"Guard duty." The Decepticon leader looked over at the heap of scrap metal that was SUPPOSED to be annihilating their foes and felt his energon boil. "Until you reclaim my favor." Several witnesses snickered, upsetting Starscream further. Megatron couldn't do this! "Yes I can! Get out!" Humiliated, Starscream transformed into a jet and flew away from the laughter.

"I suppose you're happy now," he grunted to his companion.

Silence. She was acting like a real spy.

Cheesy Flashback #8

_As Swindle came into the laboratory the screaming ceased. "You've been here for a long while, robot spy," he greeted the cowering blue figure in the corner, eclipsed by the giant Decepticon over her. "I bring news."_

"_What is it?" Vortex handed the female a fraction of the energon cube Swindle provided. He consumed the rest in one swallow._

"_It appears the Autobot prisoners were rescued in a smoke attack."_

"_Well, then." Vortex seemed uninterested. He turned back to the task at hand._

"_Wait, Vortex, if you please." Swindle stepped in between them and looked into the former Autobot's violet eyes, certain that the chip he installed in her would work now that there really was no hope. "My dear, it would appear that your friends have all been accounted for. There is no attempt to rescue you. You are dead to them."_

"_No!" She bent her knees to her head, entire body folded in half, optics squinting in anguish._

"_Yes. Search your solenoids. You know it to be true."_

"_I'll never join you!" she cried, hands in fists._

"_So be it. Vortex, kill her." Swindle turned away, disgusted with his creation. Vortex raised his arm to strike her._

"_Wait!"_

"_Yes?" You could visually enjoy the spectacle of her resolve crumble._

"_I'll...I'll join you." She said it so softly Swindle could only read her lips._

"_Excellent." He turned to Vortex. "Keep her company. I'll get the sigil and call the others in as witnesses." He turned back to her. "With your new body and your new affiliation, I believe you need a new name, my survivor of mishaps." He smiled at the girl, whose optics remained on the ground as she trembled in misery. "I'll give it some thought." He left the room in a better mood than he came with._

Chapter 16: Duty

For the next four months, as the Constructicons raced to refurbish the modified modified ship, Starscream languished in the most irritated fashion. He hated guard duty, especially while the others battled Autobots, gathered energon from other sources, took yet another trip to Cybertron, even conquered a major city (until Autobot interference). There was nothing to guard on an underwater base. This was punishment, a lonely punishment that denied him the fun of being a warrior.

Starscream patrolled the area and watched the radar. Alone. His stealthy femme obeyed his earlier mandate, ignoring his later demands to communicate with him. The only reason he knew she was still around was that no matter what erratic time he finally sank onto his recharge plate the minute he appeared offline he felt a lighter body cuddling up to him.

Mishap had ALWAYS been one for chatter. Starscream lay on his recharge plate with her, listening to the hum of the Decepticon base, and wished that she would say something, ANYTHING, to break the wall of silence that seemed to be her retaliatory method. He used to resent the intrusion, but when he didn't talk to anyone for days at a time, it would have been a welcome relief. She often wished he talked less to himself, always muttering incoherently. Mishap could never think with him babbling like that, leading her to converse with him (at least in the beginning; now, almost an earth-year later, it seemed second nature). Starscream was talking right now as he turned over in his offline mode. These last few months she could see the fatigue etch his face as he patrolled the base as punishment for failing Megatron. She stubbornly ignored his bid to converse, just so she didn't have to be his personal therapist. He knew what was wrong, why didn't he figure it out? He was disappointed with his position, and upset with her for being underfoot, even though she was invisible; still mad at her for trying to get him to be a more personable overseer. Tonight she heard him mumble how he doubted his abilities, making her feel guilty about trying to 'fix' him as an ego trip. Maybe he needed her to be there for him more than he needed a personality change, the same way she needed her brother so long ago.

He moaned again, changing position. "Megatron! No! Mercy!" he screamed, thrashing his arms and legs. Mishap unsuccessfully tried to get out of the way, but she was pinned down. His bad dream stopped as suddenly as it emerged. His body stiffened and he whimpered a little. Mishap leaned over and wiped some of the coolant off his forehead. His nightmares had been gradually increasing in both length and frequency since guard duty began. She hoped he would be over them soon. To help, she whispered in his audios that he was doing a fine job, he was a great warrior, and that Megatron was proud of him. She heard him sigh. His whole body relaxed.

At long last, the Decepticons jauntily returned from their endeavors with energon to spare. They had set the Autobots back a good two years!

"I had that blue car, the one that can fly, in my sights, when-"

"BAM!" Thrust interrupted Thundercracker eagerly. "I arced down and NAILED him! Scratched his paint!" They broke into dirty laughter. "Starscream, you shoulda been there!"

"Yeah, that null ray of yours woulda come in handy!" Skywarp added, handing him a cube. Starscream smiled uneasily. This type of camaraderie only came when they were in a very good mood. Still, it was moldy bread in the mouth of a starving man.

"Our next battle, perhaps."

"Yes," commented Megatron, who always made it his business to command the conversations surrounding him. "You are welcome to relinquish guard duty, as your modified modified ship was not as hopeless as I expected. Repairs notwithstanding, it is a work of genius." He held his cube aloft. "To Starscream, and the destruction of the Autobots!"

"To Starscream!" They drank eagerly. This energon was derived from an oil field; the BEST kind to imbibe. They spent the rest of the night getting over-energized and silly.

The end of the night, as he felt her settle in with him he timidly suggested that she didn't have to be unseen. To his pleasure she complied. Expressing his appreciation, he stroked her arm, wondering if she would converse with him. "This has to be a trying time for you," he commented, voice slightly slurred. "Following a jet around as he stands watch."

"This is not what I expected to be doing when I joined," she replied, "but it's better than I hoped for." This made Starscream puzzled, as well as another emotion he was unfamiliar with. Her squelched it by asking what had she expected.

"Death." She shifted a little, redistributing her weight to a more comfortable position. "What did YOU hope for?"

Starscream shrugged. "Besides power, glory to the cause. It's all I've ever known. I was created a Decepticon."

"Have you always been under Megatron?"

"He was at our creation. He told us we could follow our own paths but every one of us KNEW we wanted to be Decepticons. For awhile I was a scientist on my own, but that was a minor amount of time; I was built to be a Seeker jet. You?" He had no idea why he was being so attentive to her. Usually they talked about him, or argued. Maybe it was the loneliness of guard duty that had finally overtaken his narcissism. Perhaps he liked bedtime stories.

Mishap was quiet so long Starscream wondered if she did not want to tell him. "We were doing double patrol on the Southern Hemisphere of Cybertron while the rest of our teammates scouted for more energon," she began. "Somewhere near the Mekong Delta. My group-Powerglide, Bumblebee, my-um, co-created-" Mishap did not want to admit her relation to Mirage. She cleared her voice box. "-a few others, had intercepted a distress signal from a Decepticon energy convoy that had lost a truck due to an engine problem. We hoped to pre-empt the aid.

"When we got there the truck was abandoned, which Mirage suspected as dubious. The rest of us surrounded the truck with weapons drawn. The minute we lifted the hatch we saw the bomb they'd placed. I was in the front, so I bore the brunt of it. After it exploded I could hear Decepticon voices ordering the others to drop their weapons.

"I was in a lot of pain. Through the smoke in my eyes I could see them capturing the others and putting them on a transport. When they finished carrying my friends away, they turned to me." She paused for a moment to let the emotion pass. Starscream ignored it.

"They knew I was a spy and a high-ranking officer because of an Autobot turncoat who had tipped them off. Since they were unhappy with Megatron, they thought they could use me. They brought me back to life, repairing me with Decepticon parts. They told me the others thought I was dead, and that they had escaped in a raid."

"I remember that," Starscream said, recalling the day an intense smokescreen descended into their base, causing mass confusion. When the atmospheric mess had cleared the prisoners were gone, as well as vital CD plans.

"When they 'asked' me, as part Decepticon, to join, I thought I could always rejoin the Autobots, but I think the Decepticon parts of me wouldn't allow it. I had died, and re-functioned to forgo my past life as Oasis. I was trying to make sense of something that for some reason never became clear. They renamed me Mishap, and put me in the pits until they could use me. They left me there for what seemed like forever. I tried to get out a few times, but for some reason...I couldn't...it felt...wrong. I think they re-programmed me, but I was not sure. I tried to forget my past life until Megatron called me up from the Cybertonium pits."

"Their plan to use you backfired when their group was destroyed." This was part of the history they taught the incoming Decepticons: The Rebellion of Faction 7. The traitors had been found, bodies destroyed, and their personalities placed in holding chamber 217.

"I am still, mostly, an Autobot, but I can never free myself from your race as long as I have Decepticon pieces in me. I owe them a debt."

Starscream thought of Skyfire, his best friend who had deserted him almost immediately to uphold paradigms closer to his own, ignoring any honor he owed Starscream for his resurrection. That had been a poorly handled situation, with Starscream's wrath annexing his logic. Skyfire was lost forever, refusing any acknowledgement of their past camaraderie. He related this tale to her, juxtaposing the two philosophies. "Your loyalty is commendable," he praised.

She did not seem to like this compliment. Mishap wished that Starscream had actually listened to what she said, instead of only the part about owing them her life. He would regret being so quick to praise her. "Would you say that if I returned to the Autobots?"

Starscream pondered this. "Although you are both, I would not say the same upon your defection." He deliberated. "I would have to kill you."

"What!" Mishap sat up and turned the light on to get a better look at him.

"You would be betraying our cause. There are many causes we fight for. I live and die for the Decepticons."

"I thought your only cause was yourself."

"On one level, yes. But the Decepticon cause comes first. Should you impede that, I shall have to destroy you."

Mishap regarded him carefully, energon converter working into overdrive. There was something intoxicatingly similar to Megatron in his expression. She fought the urge to pull her gun out of subspace to shoot him in the face and settled back down next to him, feeling his hand on her arm for the first time. "Why are you doing that?" she asked.

"I don't know. Should I stop?" He had felt an urge to do it and followed through. He wanted to do more.

"No... I-um-well, that is-" New subject!

"Shh!" Starscream sat up and listened in the hallway. Mishap became invisible as he crept to his chamber door and bent his head against it intently. Nothing. He gave up and came back.

"I don't think you'll ever learn to care about anyone else but yourself," she sighed, thinking about their conversation.

"Even if I did, where would it take me?" he demanded. "I'm a Decepticon. Autobots allow emotions to rule them. That is how we gain the upper hand."

"By being soulless?"

"Yes."

She sighed. "If you had one friend, I bet you would be happier. Maybe even understand the Decepticons you're trying to lead a little better, too."

"I have no need for friends." He turned the light off, discussion finished in his mind. "We are soldiers, and this is the army."

"What if we started our own army?"

Now he was confused. "What?" He turned the light back on, upright and glaring. "Are your circuits still scrambled from that hit? Open up!"

Mishap kept her chest cavity panel tightly closed and smiled at him slightly. "There are outcasts everywhere, Starscream. Beings from every galaxy eager to form a group to challenge their oppressors."

"An army of losers?" he interjected. She had no contribution regarding that.

"What about just you and me?" This was not how she'd wanted to ask him. The crushing pressure of which side to choose, and the window of time she had before antipathy from both sides concluded her useless, was short. She was constantly nagged by that familiar feeling that there was no hope and that she should stay where she was. If only she could follow through with her favorite fantasy, where they went away to a place where there was no war and no abuse. She had been without direction, stuck in limbo for too long. Mishap saw something similar in this tricolor F-15, a mech who did not seem to fit into any of the rigid social structures of two warring factions. After the fraternity of tonight's party, she doubted he would desire any type of desertion any time soon. She always had the Autobots to save her. This thought came up with greater frequency the longer she stayed on this horrible planet. Maybe Megatron would discharge her, and she could find a place to hide somewhere. She wished the one lying beside her favored this idea.

"We are warriors, not humans." He was sorry he started this! She was as bad as Thundercracker. "Nobody pairs off."

She sighed, noting the difference between his attitude NOW versus the confrontation outside of Megatron's office they had awhile ago. "Well, when I'm gone your hypothesis will be tested."

"When are you leaving?" he asked tonelessly.

"Whenever Megatron feels like it." She went offline, afraid of his response. Starscream watched her drift off, his eyes glowing in the dark. An old Cybertronian saying came to mind.

"You need to make up your mind, little femme, before the Sharkticons eat you up."

Chapter 17: Discovery

Starscream had been, at long last, allowed to survey the completed modified modified modified ship. "A decent job," he lauded. "One I could have done if I had competent workers."

"Staring with yourself," snarked Megatron, CPU pounding from last night. He had to quit trying to take over the universe the 'morning after.' "Soundwave! Prepare the laser!"

"Preparing: laser." Soundwave pulled a lever that began a chain reaction of pulling energy from the sun. Instead of placing this power into concentrated cubes, the modified modified modified ship transferred this fuel into a potent laser blast.

"Point the laser!"

"Your laser-pointing days are over, Megatron!" Optimus Prime proclaimed. From every corner of the jungle the enemy emerged. "Autobots! Attack!"

"Fire!" yelled Megatron. Why did they always wait until he had completed his weapons to attack? He guessed he shouldn't complain. It was to his advantage that they were so incompetent.

The modified modified modified ship swelled, gaining heat and glowing red. That was not supposed to happen. The tip alone was designed to change color before discharging. The whole thing shook. Rumble lost his footing, complimenting the laser's technique of seismic waves.

"Take cover!" yelled Mirage suddenly. The Autobots ceased their battle and disappeared the same moment the modified modified modified ship began to break apart.

"It's going to explode!" Dirge screamed. The Decepticons, excepting their leader, fell to the ground in the terrifying quake.

"You never test anything!" Starscream reprimanded Megatron, who responded by firing his ion cannon at the mech. It missed, thanks to the trembling earth disrupting his equilibrium, and struck Dirge. As suddenly as it threatened destruction, it quivered to a dormant halt, the accumulated power dissipating safely into energon cubes. "Who turned it off?" Starscream asked, searching the area. "No one was by the controls!" Then it hit him. "Mishap!"

"No! The opposite of that," corrected Skywarp, confused. "It was a good happening."

"Exactly," growled Megatron, eyeing Starscream's flustered expression. He had no more time to comment because a huge red, white and blue metal object tackled him to the ground. The two grappled, rolling downhill. Their associates followed suit. Hand to hand combat ruled: Hound took on Starscream, Jazz, one of the Constructicons (Scavenger), and such. Mirage took on Rumble, leaping out of the way of the giant canyon he created. Launching the missile perched on the shoulder, his aim was exceptional. That would put the pipsqueak out of commission.

"Whoa!" yelled Rumble as an invisible being yanked him in the air, free from the damaging attempt. "Is that you?"

"Lay off Mirage!" was the response. "Go annoy Bumblebee."

Mirage stared in disbelief. "What are you doing?" he demanded his sister.

"Like I told Powerglide, I have some friends," she explained, returning to her brother. Before he could reproach her, she provided him with a radio frequency.

"What's that?"

"It's mine. Whenever you want to contact me, use that." He asked why she chose to provide this. "Megatron keeps putting me in...strange positions. I haven't been out in six earth months. If I want to contact you, I want to have a medium to reach you, even in deep space. Now duck!" Mirage kissed the earth in time to avoid Thundercracker's blaster ray. Mishap shot the blue Seeker herself. "Mirage, if I can make it out of here without dying, I hope you don't forget that no matter my affiliation, I will always be devoted to you."

"Get out of here! Neither of us will benefit from being destroyed by Decepticons." Oh no, he was channeling Optimus. He sensed her fly away to await the inevitable call for retreat. "I never forgot!" he called.


	5. The Wreckoning

"I came I saw I kicked some ass. The pain I cause it makes me laugh 'cause the way I do my thing is strange: I just inject myself into your veins, yeah. Can't run can't hide. There's no way out the sun will rise and it's about time for the wreckoning. Time time for this girl to sing. Damn if I thought that you would change and my life would stay the same when you don't even care about me. You know, you don't give a damn."

Boomkat

Chapter 18: Wrath

A few days later, at the end of a very long charge cycle, Mishap came online to find herself alone on Starscream's recharge plate. In the chamber corner, standing as patiently as her former leader would, was Megatron. She gasped, aware that the unfathomable had finally happened. She disappeared.

"You are too late for that, treacherous incompetent FOOL," was his only utterance. She appeared, still sitting on the recharge plate, and waited for him to speak again. He did not. Instead, he shot her. "Rumble!" The small Decepticon entered the room as Mishap's smoking body collapsed. "The moment Starscream has repaired her, bring her to me."

Starscream had been cowering outside of his room after being hastily jettisoned. Megatron stomped out of the chamber and the opposite direction without so much as a glance towards his second in command. Scrambling to his feet, Starscream ran up to his leader and tried to say something.

"Your most intelligent mode of operation would be to avoid me until I can stand the sight of you," growled Megatron, tossing his minion aside. Starscream bounced and skidded to a stop, realizing he had not seen that face since the day he'd sealed the Nightbird's fate-that had been a bad day-Primus! Mishap! He raced to his spy to witness the horror of an angry mech. A large hole burned in her chestplate, circuits blasting every few seconds. Rumble placidly observed Starscream's involuntary twitch. "If you value everything in you to function properly you will grab that stack of CD's and follow me," Starscream dictated.

"I don't take orders from you," Rumble declared defiantly, arms crossed.

"You may explain to Megatron why you let her die then, Pipsqueak," Starscream replied, hoisting her into his arms. He flinched at her cry in protest.

"It...really hurts," she moaned in objection, eyes dim.

"I know." Did he ever! "I'll fix it," he promised, walking away from a stupefied Rumble, who hurried to catch up to them.

Megatron walked by his follower's laboratory and listened intently. He chuckled over the noises inside. Mishap was moaning in agony while Starscream hollered at Rumble and coaxed Mishap to tell him what her internal readings revealed. She chided him for treating his unwilling assistant so poorly, placating the small robot's feelings throughout her suffering. He laughed out loud when Rumble agreed with her by claiming Starscream would never make it as a Decepticon leader with that kind of attitude. Starscream told him to shut up. Megatron walked into the room, surveying the scene. All activity halted. Mishap irreverently turned her head away, angry defiance barely glowing in her optics. He ignored her, telling Starscream to visit him the moment she was stabilized.

Starscream scowled at his master's retreating back. The moment his door closed he turned to Mishap and asked her what he had to do.

"Save yourself a lot of trouble," she disdainfully snorted, feeling more in control of herself for the first time in five million years. "Your destiny calls."

"Hush," he replied. "Both of you say nothing until I require it."

Chapter 19: Get Out (Leave)

Starscream worked all night and day, finally stabilizing her. He left her peacefully offline and locked the doors to the lab, leading Rumble to Megatron's throne room. The small robot leaned against the wall, trying to look menacing. The jet knocked and entered; kneeling apprehensively.

"I've been waiting all day for ya babe," Megatron was over-energized again. Small cube in hand, he appeared to be having problems sitting up. "So won't cha come and sit and talk to me."

"Yes, my lord." As when he was younger he sat on the lower steps at his master's feet, hoping this might go better. Fear saturated his CPU. 'I never thought that anyone could make me feel this way,' he fretted. This robot had made him suffer far too often. Megatron slurred his words horribly.

"Now that you're here boy all I want...is just a chance to say." Here it comes. "Hope you know that when it's late at night I hold on to my pillow tight and think of how you promised me forever."

"Sir?" He HATED when Megatron over-did it. The silver robot shook himself.

"I mean (ahem): you have sworn to uphold the Decepticon creed. You have endeavored to aid our glorious causes for over eight million years. I have rewarded you a position of second in command of my forces; forgiven your past transgressions: however, you have deceived me for the last time. 'Cause I know about her and I wonder how I bought all the lies! I am stripping you of your rank and casting you out of my army. Both of you."

"What? Why me? I did nothing!" He would kill them before they went five meters!

"Specifically you didn't tell me she materialized for you! This is a serious breech in communication, leading me to have reason to suspect both of you have been plotting a coup behind my back!"

"No!" He was jealous! That was why he was so upset! "She merely kept me company! She did not interfere. Never! We did nothing of the sort!"

"Tell me why you're looking so confused ...when I'm the one who didn't know the truth. To go behind my back and not tell me what she was doing? It changed your behavior."

"For the better," he reminded him.

"True. Your conduct has been superb since her arrival." Megatron scratched his chin thoughtfully and took a drink.

"She saved all of us from the modified modified modified ship."

"Right...the modified modified modified modified modified..." He was now on a second wave of inebriation; still very out of it. "You are correct; I will demote you kill her instead."

"That seems harsh," Starscream commented carefully.

"Your demotion to permanent security guard or her termination?"

"Both!"

Megatron snorted. "What do you care for her fate?"

"I don't!"

"You do. You want to keep her here, even though she is a security threat She is a former Autobot." Starscream didn't blink at the shocking news. "What else has she told you?"

"Nothing. We talk about me."

"I assumed so." He patted Starscream on the head, like Ravage or an earth dog. The mech resented it. "She is a traitor and a liability and she must be destroyed."

"We could use her here as a spy for us," Starscream suggested, still trying to wheedle Mishap's fate to be more favorable.

"I will if you are willing to account for her." He drank more energon. "Should she revert to the Autobots, your head will be mounted over my throne." Megatron saw his underling squirm. "Judging by your record of past relationships, this would not be feasible. Are you prepared to give up everything you have on something that just wouldn't last?"

Starscream shuddered. "How could you ever be so cold?" He glared bitterly at his leader. "You are right, she must go. I was thinking..."

"What now?" Megatron had trouble keeping himself coherent.

"How would the other Decepticons react to the news of you having a spy around here?"

"They'd know you deserve it."

"Perhaps. It might also raise a certain level of paranoia in your troops. What's to stop you from spying on them? That may affect morale."

"What's to stop me from putting a hole in your head and ending my misery?" The ion cannon was out. Megatron scowled. "You have a point, though. So now after all is said and done...maybe I'm the one to blame but..." Starscream tried to gauge his leader and failed. He was just too energized. "I wanted her to help me keep you in line. I wanted you..to..well, it didn't work out that way," he sighed. "How do you wish to bargain with me?"

"I will remain silent, keep my position, and she stays."

"No."

"I will take guard duty for another six months, remain silent, and she returns to Cybertron, unharmed."

"No."

"Yes!"

"Boy you must have gone and bumped your head! I make the decisions around here!"

"I recall a favor I performed for you a very long time ago, and the promise it secured."

"You're referring to that day you let me-" His blood-red eyes were a misty fuscia. "You said that you would treat me right but you was just a waste of time." He would not be conscious much longer.

"I am not a waste of time, and I will prove it to you, IF you grant me my request."

He stood up and threw his empty cube at Starscream, who scurried down the stairs. "Get out! Leave! Right now! It's the end of you and me! It's too late and I can't wait for you to be gone!" He sat down, pouting.

Starscream paused at the door and looked at the empty cube. It was now or never. "This substance is substandard for you, your Excellency." He walked over and picked it up to demonstrate.

"Proceed."

"Perhaps-one of the energon tubes would be more suitable." He smiled as Megatron's eyes lit up.

"If you believe so, then the table is open for negotiation." Starscream removed one of the vials from Megatron's collection and prepared to keep his job.

Later that night, Starscream crept into his lab to check up on the homeostatic Mishap. He held her hand and explained to her inert, unhearing body what would happen to her. "I wanted you right here with me but I have no choice you've gotta leave," He told her, his heart breaking with every word he was saying. He was not the only one over-energized. But he refused to cry: no tears will fall from these eyes. Then he got out.

The damage, done at close range, was worse than anything Starscream had seen in awhile. He had to make completely new parts and circuits in some areas from raw materials. Thanks to the CDs, it was not as hopeless as he assumed. She seemed, still, to fade. In the middle of reconstruction she turned to look at him.

"Starscream," she croaked, "I'm calling your bluff." With that, she peeled her Decepticon label off of her closed chestplate in one slow but smooth motion. 'Wow, that was empowering.' She had never felt so free. If it didn't hurt so bad she would sing. Dropping the hated sigil in his hands, she challenged him to let her die, so that her life as a Decepticon would be, although dishonorable, complete.

"You are right," he agreed, placing the sinister purple symbol on the table beside him. "The time in which you would be considered one of us is finished. You are no longer a partial Decepticon." He opened her chest cavity carefully, proudly pointing to shiny metal pieces. "I made you new parts. Now you can be anyone you desire."

Rumble watched, suspicious. What was going on? From his vantage point, they appeared to be whispering in each other's audios conspiratorially.

Mishap smiled. "I'll be dead. Away from you."

"Not quite." Nervously glancing at Rumble, Starscream positioned himself better to hide what he was doing. He opened his own chest cavity and disconnected on end of a tangle of cords all culminating to one interface. He gently connected to her intake plug, which he had prepared at the same time.

The drain on his life force hurt, almost as much as the ion cannon's blast. The former experience was new to him. Mishap immediately received the charge and stared in disbelief. There was no human equivalent to this. She grabbed his free hand, protesting.

"Silence! You need this." Smiling painfully, he leaned over and murmured in her audioreceptors "You won't be away from me because a part of me, the force, will be with you always." His head was guided by her free hand to accept the second rarest token of affection a robot can give, meeting her lips to his.

Chapter 20: Punishment

The fourth day of repair Mishap was cautiously sipping a thinned-out energon cube. When she'd had exactly 1/32, Starscream took it away from her. He had been very quiet since the night of her revitalization, preferring to allow the soldering iron to make the noise of the room. This would have been a welcome relief any time but now, when she wanted desperately to know what he was thinking. He continually reprimanded her, telling her to save her strength, as though talking required much output.

"Is she ready?" Rumble demanded for the third time in fifteen minutes. He was eager to get this over with.

Starscream's shoulders dropped and he stopped typing on the computer. He anxiously glanced at her and she nodded, lying.

"Yes," he sighed.

Mishap stood up and followed Rumble out of the lab, pausing at the door and looking at Starscream to see if he would follow. After a moment's hesitation, he did. She reached out and let him take her hand.

No Decepticons were around. Megatron, furious at the Autobots destroying the modified modified modified ship, sent anyone unaware of Mishap's presence to gather energon. At the throne room door Mishap thanked Rumble for his help. He looked down at the floor and brusquely told her to go in. With a brave solemn face and a final squeeze at Starscream's hand, Mishap walked in and kneeled.

Megatron stood up from his throne and walked down the stairs ominously. For a few minutes he said nothing, preferring to glare. Finally, in a tone barely concealing his wrath, he addressed her. "I have many things to thank you for," he began.

Mishap wasn't buying it. There would be trouble, soon. She feared Megatron more when he appeared controlled.

"You have guided me in managing the morale of my team. You have shown me the undiscerning genius of Starscream. You have given me...physical entertainment." He stopped and glanced at her, lustful through his acidity. She kept her optics averted.

"You have been free of duplicity, until my discovery. This causes me to query: what else have you lied about?"

Focus still on the floor, Mishap replied, "You have never questioned my interaction level with Starscream, merely any potential schemes he concocted." She peered up to see the barrel of his ion cannon in her face.

"That was implied." His voice shook dangerously. Mishap waited. "How long has this gone on?"

"To aid my methods of espionage and behavior modification; since the day I destroyed his robots."

Megatron put his gun down. "You have feelings for him."

How could she reveal to this heartless, calculating being that his most irritating warrior had somehow found a way to endear himself to her, that he was a decent friend? Maybe their leader already knew that, thus the trouble she was in. Whatever she said, Megatron would use it against her. Mishap considered her options and finally spoke. Although the terrible nagging feeling was gone from her circuits, she still feared his unchecked vehemence.

"Nothing to impede what you charged me to do." She was looking in his optics and hoping for the best. She did not notice her body trembling.

"You are no longer charged with this duty. Instead of suspending your motor relays and letting your cohorts bent you functionless, as I did to your-whatever he is-when he betrayed me, I send you back to Cybertron where you will be assigned a new position." One NOT on her back.

No! "Request permission to speak."

"Permission denied." Megatron pushed a series of buttons, one side of his face curled churlishly. "Soundwave, Rumble, Starscream! Escort our last collection of cubes-plus one-to the space bridge." He turned around to observe her reaction. She had stopped shaking; her face was losing a battle of control. She really couldn't act. "When you leave he will not give you a second impulse," Megatron informed her.

"He has already given me enough," she countered, as the three Decepticon escorts marched in. Starscream's face mirrored hers in its desperate attempt to not give in to pathos. Megatron expectantly paused for a moment. He had seen this before. Mishap was nothing special.

"Are you going to plead for her?" he taunted. Mishap hoped he would say the right thing.

"I have a job to do," Starscream explained brutally. "If I betray her, I feel terrible. If I betray me, I hate myself. If I betray you, I'm-" Mishap turned away from him, eyes dry, face stony. Starscream's voice box had shorted.

"-Dead," she finished. Her resolve broke, her face crumbled and she completely lost control. She pealed into a torrent of insane laughter. Starscream had stabbed her the back to save himself: and she COMPLETELY forgave him for it! Even as he pointed a gun at her, Mishap felt no animosity towards this horrid mech. She was livid, yes; but for some reason it did not conjure a wish for revenge. The Decepticons, startled by this outburst, stared. Megatron's sneer fell to be replaced by baffled dismay. This made her giggle harder. "I apologize," she gasped, violet eyes wild. The whole idea of it! To be sent out this way was not normal. They were supposed to kill her, not bring her back to life only to return her to a living death. She was mentally prepared for destruction, a farewell with closure. Well, now she could find out that old co-worker robot's name. This elicited more mirth. Rumble saw something unpleasant, panicked and jumped into Soundwave. Before she figured out where he was looking she felt a black hand slap her across the face. She fell on Starscream, stunned.

"Take her out of here," their leader snarled, sardonic smile returning. As they lead her away Starscream turned his head to notice Megatron watching them depart. There seemed to be more than met the eye until the silver mech declared his motivation. "For Nightbird," he growled softly, eyes glowing and fist shaking at the door. Starscream energon pump stopped and he dropped Mishap's arm in narcosis as the soul of Megatron's plot unraveled before him in its sick, twisted retribution.

Mishap stood in front of a pile of energon cubes inside the space bridge. As Soundwave set the coordinates, Megatron checked with the space bridge Cybertron guardian Shockwave on the radio. She could see three of them but only watched two, unable to connect with Starscream's shell-shocked stare. Megatron's gleeful countenance was more palatable.

"When she arrives, forget the energon. Destroy the whole convoy and report to me."

Starscream jumped to attention. "That was not part of the bargain!" he protested as Soundwave froze.

"I am altering the deal. Pray I do not alter it any further." He pointed his ion cannon at the Seeker. "Any interruptions and both of you will perish." He turned to Soundwave. "Send her off!"

The Decepticons watched the sky open up. Mishap and the energon cubes flew into the air. Only then did Mishap's eye meet Starscream's. For a nanosecond she felt the life force he had given her stir, and she smiled at him. Then she was gone. The hole closed and lightening struck. Megatron slowly counted aloud, to prove that vexation was one of his greatest talents.

"Three...two..."

"Megatron! Shockwave to Megatron!"

"Report, Shockwave."

"The cubes and the female did not arrive successfully. The transmission has been aborted: repeat! The transmission was aborted!"

This had happened before. The cargo could be anywhere in space, or worse...Megatron mentally shrugged. "Should she arrive, perform your task and contact me."

"Yes Megatron."

"Megatron out." He nodded at Soundwave. "The others will return to the base soon, let us retreat." He turned to Starscream. At the sight of the jet, Megatron's mouth involuntarily twisted.

His second in command was staring at the area where the sky had swallowed Mishap up. He was frozen to the spot he stood, acting as though time had ceased. The only motion was the water leaking from his optics. Before anyone could say a word, without shifting, he pitifully muttered something incoherent no one could make out.

This was too good! "You seem to have a maintenance problem," Megatron jeered.

"The dust is getting into my optics," he explained defensively, wiping away the evidence. Starscream transformed, flying away before he was dismissed. He renewed his ancient vow that he would kill Megatron the first chance he got and take over.

"Among other things," Megatron muttered, wishing for the billionth time that he had not asked Vector Sigma to make one of his many creations more like himself in an attempt for a competent successor. He should have been more specific. Like Starscream, he glanced at the place he had last seen his female spy. "Farewell, aptly named Mishap."

Epilogue

Intercepted from Autobot radio

Elita-1: Elita-1 calling Optimus Prime. Come in, Prime!

(static)

Elita-1: Calling Optimus Prime!

(static)

Optimus Prime: Elita-1, this is Optimus Prime, receiving from Teletraan-1. What is your status?

Elita-1: It's wonderful to hear from you!

(static)

New Autobot-

(static)

ton of energon-

(static)

knows you. Are you familiar with 'Lyra?'

Stronger signal

Optimus: Negative. (Pause) Wait, I've been informed by Mirage of an Autobot named 'Oasis;' renamed 'Lyra.' She is to give me-

(static)

Elita-1: I remember Oasis. Excellent! We were all friends a long time ago.

(Static)

Lyra: Optimus? Optimus, the password is: "Unfinished business finished."

Optimus: Affirmative. We're glad to have you back with us. I-background voices

faintly Human: They named you after a galaxy in our sky! The Lyre, a harp, was invented by Hermes as a gift to his half-brother Apollo, who gave it to Orpheus, the musician of the Argonauts-I wish Chip was here, he'd tell it right.

Lyra: They gave it to me because I was singing when they found me. It's beautiful, isn't it? Is my brother there?

Unknown: Oasis! Wait, I'm-

(static)

let-

(static)

channel-

Signal out

Starscream watched the large blue and white robot eject a tape from his chest cavity, permitting Rumble to emerge from his empty shell. "Why did you play that?" he asked forlornly.

"To cheer you up," he explained. "Between your moping and Megatron's skulking there's no safe place to hide." The Seeker had spent several earth weeks sitting on his recharge plate, head in his hands. He would not lie down. He refused to interact with any of them. Megatron left him alone and warned his soldiers to follow suit. When Soundwave picked up this transmission Rumble decided to play the catalyst. "I thought you would like to know that Soundwave's coordinates were a little off on purpose." He grinned wickedly.

Starscream fought a smile and lost. He laughed hard enough to entice the small periwinkle mech to join in.

"Besides," he alluded, handing Starscream a small object. "You weren't the only one to lose a friend to Megatron."

Starscream looked at what Rumble bestowed to him. Her words at their last pre-offline conversation hummed in his head like a Mozart piece would as background music. The object in his possession was Mishap's Decepticon label, the same purple that matched her eyes when the light hit them right in the laboratory. Putting it on the table next to his recharge plate, he slowly rose and followed the two robots to the common hall. "So what do you do for fun?" he asked them hesitantly.

"Push the others around. Play Gamecube." Rumble and Soundwave heard Starscream's door shut and for once Starscream wasn't behind it. He put a hand on Rumble's shoulder.

"I think we'll work out just fine."

"Beautiful friendship?"

"Perhaps..."

THE END


End file.
